The Project Spot

Chicken with Mushroom and Lemon Sauce

2012-02-18T12:10:00.000-08:00

Like many of you, I've been working on those January "get healthy" goals (despite the last two posts of chocolate desserts). I'm participating in a team contest with Channel 2 and Gold's Gym-which is a good motivator. Knowing that my team is counting on me to stick to the plan makes me think twice before downing a theater size box of candy or reminds me to get off the couch and to the gym. So, in the spirit of health, I ordered a Bountiful Basket for this weekend. If you haven't given this food co-op a try, I recommend it. Its only $15 and you get a whole lot of fresh fruits and veggies. Of course, I brought it home this morning and wondered how I was going to use it all up. I came up with a chicken dish with a sauce that used no butter or cream :) It turned out very tasty!

Pan chicken with mushroom and lemon sauce

2 chicken breast cutlets
3 T. flour
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 C. sliced mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
1/2 small onion, sliced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 lemon
1 can low sodium chicken broth
1 T. flat leaf parsley, chopped

I coated the chicken with some flour and salt and pepper and put it in a medium-hot frying pan with the oil. Cook the chicken for about 5 minutes on each side (it will be golden on the outside, but not cooked through yet), and then remove the chicken from the pan. In the pan, pour in a splash of chicken stock add the onions. Sautee for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic. Stir for about 1 minute, then add the mushrooms. Stir and add a bit more chicken stock until the mushrooms are soft.

When the mushrooms are soft, add a couple tablespoons of flour to the mix and cook on medium-low for about a minute and then pour 1 cup of the chicken stock into the pan. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 the lemon and add the chicken back into the pan. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Just before serving add the fresh parsley and the juice from the other half of the lemon.

More Peanut Butter Goodness-Filled Cookies

2012-02-13T18:54:00.000-08:00

Last week I made cupcakes with peanut butter filling. I knew when I made the recipe for the filling, that there would be leftovers, and indeed there were. So, now I'm using up the leftover filling on some cookies.

Many years ago, I came across a recipe in The Friend magazine for filled cookies. I like to call them home made Oreos. Usually I make them at Christmas and fill them with cream cheese frosting. Always a hit. I've tried the recipe with different flavors of cake mix with great success (lemon cake mix, yum). Anyway, I had a cake mix and the filling. 20 minutes later, I have some serious temptation in the kitchen.

Cookie dough:
1 pkg devil's food cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 C. vegetable oil

Preheat to 350. You'll need a sturdy mixer to get this thick dough to come together. Takes about 1-2 minutes is all. The dough dries out, so be ready to go with the filling.

Peanut Butter filling:
6 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 C. smooth peanut butter
1/4 C. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. milk

Mix until smooth and fluffy.

Now the fun part. Stuffing the cookies. Normally, I just make 1 inch balls, put them on the greased cookie sheet and flatten them slightly with a cup and bake for 8 minutes (then make sandwich cookies by adding frosting between 2 cookies). But not tonight.

Tonight, for these lovelies, I made about 1.5" balls. Then I flattened them in my palm. I added about 1 tsp of filling. Wrap the chocolate dough around (I kinda did a potsticker shape) then re-roll the whole thing into a ball shape. Place on cookie sheet and flatten slightly with a cup.

Bake for about 9 minutes. You don't want to over-bake, otherwise you don't get the chewy/gooey texture that is so delicious. You should get about 2 doz cookies.

That's it. Valentine's Day is tomorrow and my office is going to love me (or hate me), either way, good cookies.

Peanut Butter Filled Cupcakes

2012-02-05T14:37:00.001-08:00

I love getting cupcakes from those adorable cupcake bakeries that are all over--and now I know why they cost $3 each. It takes a lot of love to get cupcake to look that cute, but...if you are in charge of bringing the dessert to a birthday party, these babies will make you the most popular girl in the room.

So, I started out with the blog Your Cup of Cake. Everything on the site looks yummy, so how can you go wrong. I loved that the recipe starts with a cake mix. What I wished I'd found on the blog were just some of the basic recipes so that you could mix/match your own concoction. I knew that my version would need chocolate icing instead of vanilla.

So, to begin...chocolate cupcakes. First, mix up the peanut butter filling--I knew that the recipe was going to make more filling than I needed, so I should have just made 1/2, oh well, next time. I mixed up the doctored cake mix recipe, here, and got to filling the cupcake liners. I used my cookie scoop to get the very stiff batter into the bottom of each liner. I smoothed the batter down and then used a teaspoon to put a bit of the peanut butter filling on top. Then I scooped a bit more chocolate batter on top and smoothed again. Total, the liner was 3/4 full...maybe next time I'll fill just shy of 3/4.

The frosting is a take on the chocolate butter cream recipe on Your Cup of Cake. I used 1 c. butter, 2 oz. of cream cheese (left over from the peanut butter filling), 3 C. powdered sugar and 1 T of milk and 1 tsp of vanilla. I used about 2/3 C. of cocoa powder-but it tasted pretty good without the cocoa. I whipped it up for about 6 minutes in the Kitchen Aid so it would get nice and fluffy.

After the cupcakes were cooled, I used a Wilton Star #21 tip on some of them and the Wilton Round #12 tip on the others to get piles of fluffy frosting on each treat. I topped them with some Reece's cups. Yeah, these are good.

Baby Jumper and Mary Janes

2012-01-14T20:30:00.000-08:00

I saw this cute jumper on Smashed Peas and Carrots and knew that it would be the gift for my friend Jen's new baby. The best part about the jumper and booties is that I already had all the supplies in the house!

Materials
1 yd of outer fabric
1 yd of lining fabric
2 buttons
thread

First, print out the pattern and tape the pieces together. I have a pile of old clothes that I don't wear anymore, but I thought had some potential for reusing the fabric. I chose a skirt and slit it at the seam. There was enough fabric that I could make another jumper!

I won't go into the details of how to make the jumper since you will find excellent instructions on Smashed Peas and Carrots. Lay out the pattern on, once on the outside fabric and again on the lining fabric.

It took me about an hour to make the jumper and another 20 minutes or so to cover the buttons and sew them on (I had to figure out how to use the button hole foot on my sewing machine). You could use regular buttons or even snaps. If you used cute lining fabric, you could use flat buttons on both sides and the jumper would be reversible.

The booties

I am the first to admit that I am not a particularly good knitter. I can do the very basics, which is all you need for these. I modified a pattern from Knit Simple magazine a few years ago (I think the pattern was too hard for me, so...the pattern isn't perfectly symmetrical, but its close). I often add a big fluffy bow to these booties. The knitting is pretty fast, but the sewing and weaving is what takes up the time on these cuties. I made them in red once with organza ribbon bows...ruby red slippers, oh so cute. I didn't have any buttons in the house for this project, so I just crocheted little balls instead and tied them on.

Baby Mary Jane Booties

Sized for newborn-3 months

Materials

Size 6 needles

1 skien 50g yarn or sport weight—cotton or microfiber

sm. crochet hook

2 small shank buttons

Cast on 31 sts

Next: Knit across

Next: Inc 1 in first st, k13, inc 1 st in next st, k1, inc 1 st in next st, k to last st, inc 1 in last st-35 sts.

Next row: Knit across

Next row : Inc 1 st in first st, k14, inc 1 st in next st, k3, inc 1 st in next st, k to last st, inc 1 st in last st--39 sts.

Next: Knit across

Next: : Inc 1 st in first st, k15, inc 1 st in next st, k5, inc 1 st in next st, k to last st, inc 1 st in last st--43 sts

Next: Knit across

Next: Inc 1 st in first st, k16, inc 1 st in next st, k7, inc 1 st in next st, k to last st, inc 1 st in last st—47 sts

Next: Knit 9 rows

Next: k13, SKP 5 times, k1, k2tog 5 times, k13= 37 sts

Next: Knit across

Next: k16, k2tog 3 times, k to the end of the row=34 sts

Next: k14, k2tog 3 times, knit to the end of the row=31 sts

For the next row, choose either the Right or the Left shoe:

Right:

Next: Bind off 8, k3, bind off remaining sts. Cut off yarn tail. To make strap: knit 20 rows on the remaining 3 sts. Bind off. Leave a long enough tail to make a loop at the end to be the buttonhole.

Left shoe:

Next: Bind off 24 sts, k3, bind off remaining sts. Cut off yarn tail. To make strap: knit 20 rows on the remaining 3 sts. Bind off. Leave a long enough yarn tail to make a loop at the end to be the buttonhole.

With right sides together, sew up the seam of the bootie, using a crochet hook. Weave the yarn ends using the crochet hook. Flip the bootie right side out and sew on a button.

k=knit

st=stitch

sts=stitches

inc=increase

SKP=slip knit pass

k2tog=knit two together

Way cool way to do subway art

2012-01-05T12:44:00.000-08:00

I love subway art. I have a great frame on my mantle that I change the subway art each month. I usually find a great one online or make my own using Photoshop--but today, I ran into Tagxedo (pronounced like tahg-seedo). Wow, it is cool. It reminds me of another program called Wordle, but Tagxedo is FUN. I am not an expert yet. I did not go through the tutorials (I was way too excited to make a word art to bother with instructions, ha ha ha). In less than 5 minutes, I had created this super fun February word art.

Here are the few things that I've learned so far.

1. go to tagxedo.com and click Create. Install the program (Microsoft Silverlight is required)
2. You can make a project by entering a webpage or your own list of words. I used my own list by typing and clicking the submit button on the right side of the box.

3. Now the fun part, pick a theme (these are the colors).

4. Pick the fonts

5. Pick a shape

6. Go into the Word Options button and decide the Yes or No questions. I said Yes to numbers. I also said yes to Combine identical words. I typed the same word several times in my list, and this made it so it ended up as a much larger font. While in the Options box, try the Layout Tab. I moved the slider button for emphasis all the way to the right. It made me have bigger words (otherwise it repeats the words multiple times to fill in the space). Click Accept when you are ready.

7. You can click the color button to have it shuffle the word colors. You can also click the layout button to shuffle the placement of the words.

Now you are ready to save and print. Near the top of the screen is the Save/Share/Print link. You can choose to save it in small or large formats, both jpg and png. Awesome.

That is all I know about this online program. Its free, and it was pretty simple. I used it to make this cool retirement card for my colleague. Try it and let me know what else you've learned about it.

More Subway Art

2012-01-03T08:49:00.000-08:00

I'll be adding to this post later this weekend, but I'm uploading all my calendar subway art... (sometimes I use my own in my decorating, sometimes I use the ones from Eighteen25, or from other places). More are coming-these are done in PhotoShop Elements.

Here is the Google Doc with the large files where you can download them. They will print as big as 8x10. If you need a larger file, just let me know.

Artisan Bread-Easier than you think!

2011-12-13T16:22:00.000-08:00

This recipe is tasty! I was sitting next to a friend at choir rehearsal who was describing this super easy and tasty bread recipe and I knew I had to try it out. Apparently the recipe first showed up in the NY Times from Mark Bittman, but I found this version at Steamy Kitchen.

First, I had to hit the store because I did not have bread flour or instant yeast. This recipe is super easy, but it is not super fast. You have to start the dough the night before and you need to have a couple hours of raising time the day that you want to bake it. You don't need a fancy mixer, but you should have an enamel cast iron baking dish with a lid that can handle oven temps of 450 degrees.

Ingredients

3 C. bread flour (I used King Arthur)
1/4 t. instant yeast
1 tsp. salt (table)
1 1/2 C. warm water

In a med/large bowl add all the dry ingredients and stir. Add the water and stir it up until you get a messy lump of dough. Cover with plastic wrap and set on the counter overnight.

The next day the bowl will have a light and fluffy dough. I laid out a dish towel and sprinkled it generously with flour and then dumped the contents of the bowl onto the towel. I used the edges of the towel to form the dough into a ball, then wrapped the cloth around it to let it rise for a couple hours.

As instructed by the Steamy Kitchen, the last 30 minutes of raising, I preheated the oven to 450 degrees with the baking dish inside the oven. I dumped the dough from the towel onto a piece of parchment paper and slipped it into the pot. Put the lid on the pot and bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take the lid off and bake for another 10-15 minutes until it is a beautiful golden color. Remove it from the pot and let it cool on a wire rack.

I bundled up this gorgeous loaf of bread up with some homemade strawberry jam and a dishtowel that I imprinted with the Citrasolve method and took it as a gift to some good friends. When she served it at dinner, everyone wanted to know which bakery I had stopped at to pick it up! One friend immediately wanted to know how to make it because it reminded her of the kind of bread her husband loves from Portugal. So, it was a hit! Try it out, you will not be sorry :)

Licorice Caramels

2011-12-10T12:57:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite memories of my grandpa is that he always had licorice in his front shirt pocket (he wore those Western style shirts with snaps on the pockets). My brothers and I all love black licorice--so it was no surprise that licorice caramels are a big hit around our house. I first had these tasty treats in college when my roommate made them for me. I'm pretty sure the recipe is from The Lion House Dessert cookbook, but I got it from Melissa and haven't been able to come to a family Christmas without it since. Even if you don't think you like licorice, you very well may love these (you can make the recipe without the anise and just use vanilla...or if you are busy like me, you make one batch of caramel and divide it in half and do both in one fell swoop). On years that I get my act together early, I wrap the caramels individually, other years I cut it into squares and stack in wax paper layers. I usually cut up my wax paper squares while the caramel is cooling in the pan.

Ingredients

1 C. butter

1 1/2 C. light corn syrup

2 C. white sugar

1 can sweetend condensed milk

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp black food paste

1/2 tsp anise oil (NOT extract)

In a heavy 6 qt saucepan mix the butter, syrup, sugar, sweetened condensed milk and salt. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring constantly until mixture reaches "soft ball" stage and a medium caramel color (around 225-235 on a thermometer...I never use one, I use a bowl of ice water and test it). Don't try and make the process faster by turning up the heat, it will burn.

Remove the caramel from the heat and add the anise oil and food paste. Let the caramel cool a 20-30 minutes in the saucepan before pouring it into a well-buttered cookie sheet/cake pan (if you pour super hot caramel, it will melt the butter and stick to the pan). Do NOT try and pour the mixture directly on wax paper, it will melt the wax and stick to the paper (learned the hard way). I usually use my kitchen shears (sprayed with Pam) to cut them into squares.

Cake Pops

2011-12-08T16:15:00.000-08:00

Do you remember the Christmas that you got your Easy Bake Oven? I do. I'm pretty sure its the same year that I got a foot-pedal powered blender that I used to make red Kool-Aid in my bedroom with brand new sunshine yellow carpet (sorry Mom). I loved making cute little cakes. Turns out my demographic are suckers for spending money on things that remind us of our childhood, hence the Babycakes Cake Pop Maker. I got one on Black Friday at Kohl's and I had some fun trying it out!

I made the vanilla cake recipe in the Babycakes recipe book that came with the machine. The batter is a thick one, and with the many other reviews I've seen, apparently that is an important factor. I tested several methods of putting the batter into the wells, and I decided I liked the cookie-dough scoop the best.

I found that filling each well right to the top worked best. My first batch turned out absolutely perfectly...every cake was a perfect sphere...and yet I manged to not take a single picture of them. Sigh. As I continued making batches (cooking for about 5 minutes) they got less and less perfect. I suspect that the device was getting too hot. So next time, I'll unplug the device between batches and plug it back in once I've got the batter in and lid closed.

I put the cake balls in the freezer before decorating. To decorate, I melted the candy chips in the microwave in a small bowl and then sat the bowl in my mini-crock pot. This kept the candy nice and smooth and allowed for easy clean up. I dipped the stick into the melted candy then pushed it into the frozen cake ball. Then I put them back in the freezer to harden the stick. I then dipped and swirled each of the cake pops. You have to tap off the excess and twirl the stick a bit to get it all smooth.

Decorate with sprinkles or drizzling with melted chocolate. Turned out pretty darn good for a first try. I did find this great Youtube video today, AFTER I had already done mine. I think I'll try some of her suggestion too.

I had great fun--I'm thinking cake pops are going to show up at the family Christmas party :)

Thanksgiving Activity Booklet for Kids

2011-11-22T14:08:00.000-08:00

Placemat image from http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/2011/11/printable-thanksgiving-activity-sheet.html

Last year I made up a booklet of mazes, puzzles, coloring etc... for the nieces and nephews. Here it is again, along with another booklet that I found at TLSBooks.com I also thought that Family Fun had lots of great ideas.

Here's the link to my Google Site where you can download both PDF booklets.

Apple Pie Filling for Now or the Freezer

2011-11-18T21:06:00.000-08:00

I had the good fortune of having some friends with an apple tree with so many apples, that they gave me a large bag! I love eating apples, but this was more than I could really eat in a timely fashion. So, I decided to get some apple pie filling made and frozen. I'm planning on using it for the Thanksgiving pies that I'm responsible for at the family dinner.

Recipe:

6 C. sliced apples
1 T. lemon juice
3/4 C. sugar
1/4 t. salt
2 T. instant tapioca
1/2 t. cinnamon
butter
pie crust

I used an apple/peeler/corer to get all my apples done (I ended up with enough apples for five 9" pies). I mixed up each batch of dry ingredients and apples separately, mostly because I don't have a bowl big enough for 30 cups of apples! In a bowl mix the apples and lemon juice. In a smaller container mix the sugar, salt, tapioca and cinnamon. Mix the dry ingredients into the apples. Let the mixture rest on the counter for at least 15 minutes.

Option 1:
Make the pie right now! Put the bottom crust in your pan and pour the apple filling in, dot with butter; top with crust and pinch the seams together. Cut vent slits in the top. Bake for 50-60 minutes at 400 degrees.

Option 2:

Freeze just the raw filling so you can use in future pies. To freeze the pie filling, dump the 6 cups of apple mix into a large zipper freezer bag and squeeze out the air and close it. Put the zipper bag of apples into the pie pan that you will eventually be using to bake the pie. Smoosh the apples around until you have a pan-shaped pile of apples. Leave the bag in the pan and put both in the freezer. After the apples are frozen, you can take the bag out of the pan and just keep the bag in the freezer. You may want to double bag to help avoid freezer burn.

When you are ready to make the pie, get the bottom crust into the pan and put the frozen apples in it. Dot with a couple tablespoons of butter and put on the top crust. Cut some slits in the top and bake for 50-60 minutes on 400 degrees (you'll need to wrap the edges of the pie in foil so that the crust doesn't get too brown). Don't let the apples defrost before using them; they'll get too juicy and make for a soggy pie.

Option 3: Freeze a whole raw pie to bake later.

Make up the pie, as if you were going to bake it right away (crust and all) and freeze the whole thing, just don't cut the vent holes yet. Wrap it in plastic wrap and then foil (or if you have those giant freezer bags, you could try them too). When you are ready to use, take it out of the freezer, cut the vent holes and bake, do not defrost first--it will take nearly 2 hours at 400 degrees, so be sure to use foil around the edges for at least the first hour. (I did this method as a test run for Thanksgiving and it turned out PERFECT!!)

Now I'm stocked up on apple pie makings!

Update: I tried it with cherries and it also turned out super yummy. The recipe is slightly different. 4 C. sour cherries, 3 T. tapioca, 1 t. almond extract, 1 C. sugar

Multi Grain Bread

2011-10-29T16:20:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was a long weekend for me and I enjoyed lazing around on Saturday morning, including some time watching America's Test Kitchen. I love that show. They tell you why you should or should not do something in a recipe and everything they make is always super delicious looking. The episode was on making multi-grain bread, and they showed examples of breads that may be super nutritious, but they are so heavy and dense that they aren't very tasty. That is exactly what I have thought about healthy bread recipes I've made in the past, but this one looked so yummy, that I knew I had to try it out. I waited all week to try it (because I know that I shouldn't start a recipe that takes 3-4 hours when I get home from work).

The surprise ingredient in this recipe is hot 7-grain breakfast cereal. What genius, since a bag of cereal is less than $3 and I don't end up with bags of grains that I'd never use up. It turned out so great! It took longer for the dough to raise than the recipe suggested, but it was probably because my house wasn't super warm. The bread turned out so light and with good "chew". You could make a really great sandwich with this bread and have it not fall apart (like home made wheat bread sometimes can). I followed the recipe exactly, including the checking the bread's temp before removing from the oven. I even managed to wait 2 hours before I cut into it (torture).

Recipe from America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

1 1/4 C . 7-grain hot cereal mix (I used Bob's Red Mill brand)
2 1/2 C. boiling water
3 C. all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting work surface
1 1/2 C. whole wheat flour
4 T honey
4 T unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
2 1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 T table salt
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, (unsalted-I did not add these, I don't like seeds in my bread)
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats

Instructions

1. Place cereal mix in bowl of standing mixer and pour boiling water over it; let stand, stirring occasionally, until mixture cools to 100 degrees and resembles thick porridge, about 1 hour. Whisk flours in separate medium bowl.

2. Once grain mixture has cooled, add honey, melted butter, and yeast and stir to combine. Attach bowl to standing mixer fitted with dough hook. With mixer running on low speed, add flours, 1/2 cup at a time, and knead until dough forms ball, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes; cover bowl with plastic and let dough rest 20 minutes. Add salt and knead on medium-low speed until dough clears sides of bowl, 3 to 4 minutes (if it does not clear sides, add 2 to 3 tablespoons additional all-purpose flour and continue mixing); continue to knead dough for 5 more minutes. Add seeds and knead for another 15 seconds. Transfer dough to floured work surface and knead by hand until seeds are dispersed evenly and dough forms smooth, taut ball. Place dough into greased container with 4-quart capacity; cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, 45 to 60 minutes.

3. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two 9 by 5-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and pat into 12 by 9-inch rectangle; cut dough in half crosswise with knife or bench scraper. Shape each piece into a loaf by rolling it up; roll to coat with oats; cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in size, 30 to 40 minutes. (Dough should barely spring back when poked with knuckle.) Bake until internal temperature registers 200 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove loaves from pans and cool on wire rack before slicing, about 3 hours.

Vintage French Grain Sack Dining Chair

2011-10-22T20:47:00.001-07:00

I suppose other people have been tuned into the vintage french style way before me, but when Target had those cute dishtowels earlier this fall, it got me crushing on the trend too. A little Googling and all kinds of cute stuff made with "vintage" grain sacks pop up. So, I decided to try all kinds of crafting. The best part? Except for the Citra Solv, I already had everything I needed in the house!

The chairs were in need of some re-gluing and some sanding. I used some Gorilla Glue and clamps to tighten up joints that probably came loose from a boy leaning back on the chair whenever his mom wasn't looking. My palm sander made short work of the already worn finish.

A debate waged in my mind over whether to paint or stain the chairs (the wood appears to be maple and it cleaned up very nicely--I could almost see my dad cringe over the thought of covering up nice wood with paint), however, I opted for paint, sorry Dad. I used Ralph Lauren in Oatmeal-I could still do the second chair hanging out in the garage with stain right?

Here's where the vintage French grain sack comes in. I got inspired by The Graphics Fairy's project, here. I'd heard about doing ink transfers using paint thinner, but I loved the idea of using something less dangerous like Citra Solv. I won't explain the transfer process here since she explains it so well on her blog (even the Citra Solv website has craft ideas for you).

I found the Citra Solv at Whole Foods (eek, expensive at 8.99 a bottle, but its enough for a decade of projects and price sticker removal, so I guess that's ok). I have no idea if other goo gone products work, but try it out and let me know what you come up with. I practiced the image transfer process 3 times on an old flour sack dishtowel before I did the fabric for my chair. What I discovered: 1-The photocopy from the machine at the grocery store worked great, the copy from the machine at the library did not--so, something in the toner or ink in that machine made it not work. 2-Less Citra Solv is better than more. My first try I taped the image on and generously dabbed at it with a foam brush, which resulted in the ink getting a bit smeary and blurry. The next time I used less solvent and more rubbing and it was PERFECT.

I was probably a bit timid with the transfer process on my actual fabric, so its a bit more "faded" than I would have really liked, but then again, if I were really re-purposing a vintage grain sack, it might be faded right?

Here's the graphic that I created. I inserted it into Word and resized it, then flipped it horizontally so that the words are backwards--so that when you lay it face down it will be correct after the transfer. I used the fonts Leander and Chenier. (And I made up the name of the grain mill and address...I used the Restoration Hardware linen pillows as inspiration).

Interchangable Magnetic Necklace

2011-09-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

I've had some fun making magnets or necklaces using Diamond Glaze and scrapbook paper (or photos)--so why not combine the two? A co-worker had some earrings that had the same premise (although fancier than a bottle cap) that I used as inspiration. Now I can switch out my necklace depending on my mood or outfit :)

You'll need:

Bottlecap necklace blank (Hobby Lobby)
Round magnets
Diamond Glaze
Patterned paper or photo

This was a super fast, super easy project (and very inexpensive--the magnets were 1.99 for 6, but I had a 40% off coupon and the bottlecap necklace was on sale for 4/$1). I looked at some other necklace blanks that were flat, but I was concerned that the magnet could get knocked off.

First, find the scrapbook paper that you like and roughly cut out a circle a bit larger than the magnet. Flip the piece of scrapbook paper upside down and spread a thin layer of the Diamond Glaze (you could use any glue here, but to keep things simple, I just use the glaze). Press the magnet into the glue. Let it set for about a minute, then use scissors to trim around the edges.

Make sure you don't have any excess glue dripping down and flip the magnet over so that the paper side is now up. Puddle some Diamond Glaze on top of the patterned paper and smooth out (I use a bit of cardstock, or in this case packaging from the bottle caps) as a spreader. Go slow and make sure that you don't have any air bubbles. Careful, if you are doing more than one pendant at a time, keep them apart--if two magnets with wet Diamond Glaze get close together...not so good (not that I learned that the hard way or anything). Let dry for a couple hours (or overnight).

Thread a chain through the bottlecap and decide which magnet to pop in! That's it :) Try it out for different holidays (or make an advent necklace!) or to switch up between favorite sports teams or your school mascot.

Washstand Repaint

2011-09-25T20:43:00.001-07:00

I ran across this sturdy table at a thrift store and decided I could probably put it to use. After scrubbing, I debated whether or not to leave it stained or painted. It was pretty rough, so I tried some wood restorer that did wonders on another project...but it didn't look right on this project. So, paint it is. That $3.00 sampler of Martha Stewart teal paint sure has gone a long way (this is project #3).

Before:

A couple coats of paint. Then some sanding (all the paint covered up some of its "character"). Then I used some chocolate brown glaze to tone down the color and emphasize some of the dings and dents. Really, it turned out great.

I haven't found a permanent place for it yet. I've got some ideas, like as a storage station for a basket of socks, or as a stand for drinks at a party, but right now its a charging station for my iPad.

Metal cabinet repaint

2011-09-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

I work in a cubicle. A gray cubicle. I do have a window, which is great, but my view is of the wall of the other building. Oh well. So, in my gray cubicle is a metal cabinet that I thought could use some sprucing up! So, I hauled it home and went to work on it.

First, I used my sander to scuff up the surface then I washed it really well and dried it. I took the doors off and the hardware and used painter's tape to cover the brand name label (Steelcage) on the bottom. I used Krylon Fusion paint in Hot Pepper. It took about 1 1/2 cans. I did not paint the inside, so I used some newspaper to cover up the door track and block overspray from getting inside.

After I let it dry (had to go grab it out in the yard in the middle of the night when the thunder storms were threatening-ha ha, me in my PJ's dragging it back into the garage) for a couple days I got to getting the vinyl ready. I had a hard time deciding what to do on the doors. I thought about quatrefoil, or intersecting circles or maybe some typography or even scientific formulas (since I am a science nerd for work)--but things are always a bit crazy around my office with huge projects, tight deadlines and low funding, so this one seemed most appropriate. I measured the space on the door (decided that I'd just do one door, 2 seemed like overkill) and left space at the top, bottom and sides for the tracks. I planned it out in my Silhouette software and let it cut while I waited for the cable man to show up (yup, 15 minutes before his 2 hour window was up, he came. Typical). I used a yardstick and chalk to mark my lines.

So it adds a nice pop of color to my office (I should probably work on getting the piles of papers taken care of, but oh well). I love the transformative power of spray paint!

Mailbox Re-do

2011-08-23T15:43:00.001-07:00

I'm lucky enough to live in a neighborhood where our mailboxes are up on the house. Mine drops right into the garage, which is very convenient and secure--but the brass mail slot cover has never been pretty. I can't believe how long I lived with it! Many times I've eyeballed new boxes, new covers. I guess either I couldn't find what I wanted or didn't want to pay for what they cost. So, I removed the 4 screws holding it in place, sprayed it with gray primer then a spray of Rustoleum black satin. I made up the vinyl decal on my Silhouette (its only about 2 inches). Even the junk mail will look better with this mailbox.

Really, this project took all of about 10 minutes of work time (maybe 15 if you count the time the Silhouette was running)--plus overnight drying time. I had to find something to do last night because my internet was down!

Transfer books on CD to iPod

2011-08-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd do another technology post! This time its about transferring your collection of Books on CD to your iPod (It is legal to do this for discs you already own). It seems like it should be just as easy as importing a music CD, but you don't want iTunes treating a book the same as a music CD. A book on CD generally has several CDs, each broken into multiple tracks. To make listening to the book easier, you want to be able to group the tracks together, make it so that your iPod will remember where you last stopped the book and save it as an AudioBook so that it shows up in the book library and not the music library.

1. You need to change some iTunes settings before you begin (remember to switch them back when you are done). (iTunes-Preferences-General-Import Settings-AAC and Spoken Podcast, OK)

2. Pop in the first disc. When iTunes asks if you want to import the disc say NO--you have some stuff to do first.

3. You need to group all the tracks on the CD into one big track. Highlight the first track, then hold down the Shift button while you highlight the last track. This will highlight all the tracks. Click the Advanced menu and choose Join Tracks. Now instead of a disc with 15-20 tracks, you have just one...much easier to work with-you'll know it worked because there will be a bracket along the left side of the track titles (and everything shifts a bit to the right).

4. Now you can click on the Import CD button in the bottom right corner. It will probably take about 10 minutes per disc.

5. Next you should change the album info and the easiest way is to go to the Recently Added section and right click on your recently added disc and choose Get Info. On the Info Tab, I like Artist=Author and Composer=Narrator. I also put the disc number in the title (so that when I see the list of 8-12 discs, I know which one is which). You can ignore the track info. Make sure that Spoken & Audio is the type.

6. On the Options tab make sure the Media type is audiobook and that the boxes for Remember playback and Skip when Shuffle are checked (that way the iPod can start right where you left off, and it won't ever dump your book into your random music shuffle). I also like to add album art on that tab, but you can skip it.

7. Now you repeat the process for each of the discs in the book.

8. Don't forget to set your iTunes back to the Music CD settings!

So, it took about an hour or so for an 8 disc book, but now I can listen to it while I'm on the treadmill. Yay, I'm always looking for ways to make the treadmill more fun.

Hallway Gallery and Repaint

2011-08-07T16:44:00.000-07:00

Why does even the smallest painting project seem to take over the house and take so LONG? I've been in my house for almost 9 years and the hallway is the only spot left that I have never painted (mostly because I didn't have the right kind of ladder to get up to the top of the stairwell). Well, I've had the right ladder for at least 3 years, so I can't use that as an excuse anymore.

Before:

The prep for painting takes so long! I re-textured the ceiling first and painted the ceiling. Then I got the walls painted in Sugar Wafer by Kilz (sadly, Walmart no longer carries this brand of paint, so I had it color matched at Lowe's). Of course, I had to repaint all the trim and door casings (I resisted the "while you're at it...." temptation to replace the casings to match the ones I did last year in my living and family rooms...but its on the list now). The hinges on the cupboard doors had been painted too many times to really work right, so I used a spray on paint stripper and cleaned them up. I then sprayed them with primer and some black spray paint and they look brand new and cost me nothing.

Most folks probably wouldn't notice much difference in the before/after, but I sure do! And, after a couple weeks I started working on my photo gallery wall that I've been wanting to do forever!

For the photo gallery I didn't want to put nail holes in my newly painted walls, so I used the Command Picture Hanging Strips--and that was slick! The strips say one will handle up to .5, so I used just one on the smaller pictures and 2 on the larger ones.

I uploaded some of my favorite vacation photos to Costco and printed them in black and white. I also spent WAY too much time weeding and placing vinyl on my knock off of a Ballard Design sign. Check out Infarrantly Creative's laundry version at http://www.infarrantlycreative.net/2010/09/ballard-inspired-laundry-sign.html . I think I spent about $7 in photos and the frames were .95-3.95 each, so less than $15. The canvas was a DI find that I repainted. The good news is that there is still space for more photos, so I guess I better get traveling.

Quatrefoil Jewelry Box

2011-08-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

I have been itching to do a fun painting project and I found the perfect inspiration in this photo of storage boxes. Don't you just love these boxes. I am a HUGE fan of that color of green, if I were to spot them at my Home Goods store, no doubt they would come home with me.

http://tracizeller.com/blog/2010/fabulous-and-frugal-a-visit-to-homesense/

I had picked up this jewelry box at a thrift store and hoped to do something fun with it! Ta-da--Quatrefoil jewelry box in Tiffany blue and silver :)

Before: First, sanded it up and washed it.

The jewerly box top veneer was in pretty bad shape, so I used some 1/8" hardiboard to cut a new top (its thin enough that a straight edge and utility knife were enough to get the cutting job done). Glued it up with wood glue and placed a heavy box on it overnight to dry.

Next, I used Kilz gray primer (used a foam brush), 3 coats and then 3 coats of some leftover turquoise paint, mixed 1/2 and 1/2 with white semi gloss (the Turquoise is a Martha Stewart called Aruncana Teal). I used my Silhouette to create a stencil of the quatrefoil pattern.

I took my time and stenciled the top and sides with silver paint.

So what do you think? The drawer has lots of curve and so I skipped stenciling it...and I'm still thinking about doing a bit of distressing/glazing.

Margherita Pizza on the Grill

2011-07-29T18:39:00.000-07:00

I love dinner out on the grill! It keeps your kitchen from getting hot, especially when it was already 95 degrees outside. This is a pretty fast dinner, especially if you take shortcuts like me and use store bought dough and sauce.

Lucky me, my basil is growing really well, so I picked it right out of the container.

Ingredients

1 pkg pizza dough (I got mine at Winco)
1 bottle sauce
fresh mozzarella, sliced
fresh basil
Hot pepper flakes, opt
Olive oil

First, divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Use some flour on the counter and shape each piece of dough into a pizza round. Place each crust between floured pieces of plastic wrap and let rest/rise while you get the ingredients ready (I put mine out by the grill while the grill was preheating--about 10-15 minutes).

Preheat the grill with the lid closed on high.

Slice the mozzarella and clean and dry the basil ( I julienned mine since the leaves were large).

Use a folded paper towel dipped in oil and a pair of tongs to grease the grates on the grill. Brush one side of the crust in oil and place oil side down on the grill (I turned the grill down to medium at this point). Keep an eye on the bread, it will take 3-4 minutes on one side. When you are ready to turn it over, brush oil over the top and then flip.

Immediately start spooning on the the sauce on the crust, then top with the cheese. Close the lid on the grill for a minute or two to let the cheese get all melty and delicious. Sprinkle with basil and pepper flakes. Use the tongs to pull the cooked pizza onto a waiting plate.

Chalkboard Coasters

2011-07-25T21:44:00.000-07:00

I was out at Market Square here in SLC a couple months ago (if you haven't been there, its an experience for sure, 1600 Empire Road) and saw these packages of 100 coasters for .99 --I didn't know what I was going to do with them, but I brought them home anyway.

I'm still thinking about other uses for them, but for now, I just made them cuter :)

I used gray spray primer on one side, then a couple coats of chalkboard paint.

On the other side I used spray adhesive to attach some leftover scrapbook paper.

So, not a particularly revolutionary use, they'll come in handy for a summer BBQ, but I suppose they could be mini-chalkboards to keep kids entertained.

Dad's Homemade Salsa

2011-07-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

My family loves salsa. I can remember coming home from church on Sundays and immediately digging into a bag of chips with salsa, if you were slow getting home, you were out of luck! My dad now makes this salsa (he won't even eat bottled salsa anymore) and you can whip it up in about 5 minutes, so try it out!

Ingredients

1 can of diced tomatoes with green chiles

1 can diced tomatoes

1-2 jalepenos, seeded and roughly chopped

1 small onion, roughly chopped

1 sm bunch of cilantro

1 lime

I'm lucky enough to have cilantro growing in my garden this year, so I used it. I didn't have a lime in the fridge, so I used lime juice (about 1 T). Open the cans of tomatoes and dump them into the food processor. Chop the onion into big chunks (just so that the food processor can get the job done faster). If you like spicy salsa, use more jalepeno, but it tends to get hotter the second day, so I go easy. Wash the cilantro and put in the processor.

Once everything is in the bowl of the processor, put the lid on and pulse it until you get to your desired "chunkiness." Make sure you have some chips on hand, this stuff is tasty :)

Step Stool Rehab

2011-07-20T19:56:00.000-07:00

First, I cannot find my "before" picture. I know I took one, and I know I've seen it, but I don't know where I filed it, so this one is as close as I could find (mine was in about the same sad shape, but the supports were white rather than red). When I track it down, I'll replace the picture.

I picked up 2 Cosco step stools at a yard sale for $1 each, one was more modern and in great shape, the other one, it had been well-used and but not well cared for--but it reminded me of one from my grandma's house (although hers had a seat that flipped up). So, I brought them home.

First some washing with water and dish soap to get rid of the grime and spider webs.

Next, some steel wool and WD-40 on the rust spots on the chrome.

Next, some more steel wool on the painted sections to get rid of the rust.

I took off the old vinyl and kept it as a pattern for the new vinyl (the wool batting seemed just fine, so I kept that).

I took out all the screws/bolts so that I could prime and spray paint all the white pieces without having to worry about getting paint on the chrome or seat. I used a couple coats of gray primer, then 2 coats of Rustoleum white enamel spray paint.

Replacing the vinyl on the chair back turned out to be very easy (I found the sparkly red vinyl at JoAnne's in the Red Tag area on sale for $5 a yard, and I only bought 1/2 yard and didn't use all of it). I laid the old seat back on the new vinyl and cut out a football/oval shape with plenty of extra around the edge. The seat back had sharp hooks on the back to grab the vinyl, so just pull it tight (do opposite sides, then move to another set of sides, etc...until you've done the whole thing).

The vinyl on the seat was tricker. It didn't have the hooks, so I ended up using hot glue to get the vinyl to stay in place until I could connect it back to the seat support. Worked great.

Putting it all back together probably would have gone better with an extra set of hands, but I managed by using my head and shoulders and a fair amount of balance to get it done. Ta-da!

Rhubarb Crisp and Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

2011-07-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

Happy National Ice Cream Day! To celebrate, I used more of those tasty garden strawberries in some home made ice cream. I'm a fan of Cook's Illustrated magazine (and their TV show, America's Test Kitchen) because they tell me WHY I need to prepare a recipe a certain way. The scientist in me just wants to know why. This ice cream recipe is a custard style and it substituted some of the sugar with corn syrup to help reduce the ice crystals that usually form in home made ice cream. I have to say, it works, but it isn't a fast recipe (I mixed it up in about 15 minutes, but then you need to chill it and strain it before you freeze it). Haagen Daaz, watch out!

I know most people love the combo of strawberry rhubarb crisp/cobbler, but I don't like my strawberries all cooked and soggy, so I decided to try out this Taste of Home magazine recipe and used the version that had rhubarb and apples (and saved the strawberries for the ice cream). Tasty stuff. Mix the ice cream and the crisp together and YUMMY!

Both recipes and instructions are below.

Rhubarb Crisp

Quaker Oats Recipe

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 cups sliced fresh rhubarb or frozen rhubarb, thawed
2 cups sliced peeled apples or sliced strawberries
1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted (next time, I'd use 1/4 C.)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

In a large bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add rhubarb and apples or strawberries; toss to coat. Spoon into an 8-in. square baking dish. (I doubled the recipe and used my 5 qt casserole)
In a small bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, butter, flour and cinnamon until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over fruit. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until bubbly and fruit is tender. (my doubled recipe baked for 65 min). Serve warm with ice cream if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

Premium Vanilla Ice Cream

Cook’s Illustrated, July./Aug 2011, Pg 23

1 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp vanilla or vanilla bean paste)

1 ¾ C. heavy cream

1 ¼ C. whole milk

½ C. plus 2 T sugar

1/3 C. light corn syrup

¼ t. salt

6 large egg yolks

Opt: 1/4 C. strawberry puree plus some sliced berries for texture (I used some fresh freezer jam and some berries instead).

1. Place an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan in the freezer to chill. Cut vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrap out the seeds. Combine vanilla bean, seeds, cream, milk ¼ C. plus 2 T sugar, corn syrup and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until steaming steadily and thermometer reaches 175. Remove from heat.

2. While milk is heating, whisk yolks and remaining sugar in a bowl until smooth, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk 1 cup of the heated milk mixture into eggs, then pour all of egg/cream mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thermometer registers 180 and mixture has thickened slightly. Immediately pour mixture into a large bowl and allow to cool 10-20 minutes. Transfer 1 cup of mixture into a small bowl and cover both bowls with plastic wrap. Place large bowl in fridge and small bowl in freezer. Cool at least 4 hours or overnight (small bowl will freeze completely).

3. Remove custards from fridge and freezer. Scrape frozen custard into the bowl of refrigerated custard and stir until smooth. Strain custard through fine mesh sieve (Note: If using regular vanilla instead of vanilla bean, add it now). Transfer the mix to the ice cream freezer immediately. Churn until it resembles soft serve and is about 21 degrees (add the strawberry puree in the last 30-60 seconds). Transfer to the chilled baking dish, press plastic wrap onto the surface of the ice cream and freeze for about 1 hour.

4. After about an hour, transfer ice cream to an air tight container, pressing firmly to remove air pockets. Freeze until firm, about 2 hours. Keeps about 5 days.

Green Chile Turkey Burgers

2011-07-13T14:21:00.001-07:00

Tired of the usual grilled hamburgers? Try these very tasty (and pretty nutritious) turkey burgers!

Ingredients (for 4 burgers)
1 lb ground turkey
1 can chopped green chiles, drained
1 tsp. salt and pepper
wheat hamburger buns
toppings: pepper jack cheese, avocado, lettuce, red onion, whole grain mustard

Mix the turkey and green chiles, salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties. The mixture is very soft, so form it on pieces of wax paper (if you have time, either freeze or refrigerate before cooking just to make it easier to handle). If you don't freeze first, then take the burgers out to the grill on the wax paper and just flip upside down onto the grill and pull off the wax paper.

Cook burgers on the grill just like you would regular burgers (make sure you oil the grill grates first. Since the turkey is lower fat, it may stick if you don't).

I top mine with pepper jack cheese, avocado, red onion and lettuce along with whole grain deli mustard and sometimes mayo. I've even been known to grill some pineapple rings and add those and some pickled jalepenos. Very tasty served with sweet potato fries on the side.

Fancied Up Notebooks

2011-07-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

Back to School will be here in just a few weeks (I know this very well since I go back to work before the teachers do...boo!) and the school supplies are showing up in all stores sales ads. Here is a fun way to jazz up a boring notebook. You could title the front "Journal" or put a fun quote on it. I used leftover scrapbook paper (turns out I much prefer scrapbooking via Snapfish), .25 cent notebooks and some ribbon from my fabric box. This would be fun on the mini size composition notebooks too. Great for students, or keep one for you to keep track of projects you want to make, or put it with your church stuff!

Supplies

1 composition notebook
2 pieces of paper for the front and back
1 piece of contrasting paper for the spine (optional)
1-1.5 yards of ribbon
Spray adhesive

I don't know how uniform the sizing of composition notebooks are, so you should probably measure yours before using my sizing.

Place a piece of paper inside the front cover with the top edge lined up and the left edge lined up along the black tape binding. Trace around the edges lightly with a pencil and cut out. Repeat for the back cover (it SHOULD be the same, but sometimes they are off just slightly). This will give you just the right size to cover the front of the notebook, leaving the black binding exposed.

If you want to cover up the binding you'll need to cut a rectangle about 3 1/4 in x 9 5/8 in. I tried covering the binding with the exact same size as the black tape, but it kept coming unglued, so I tried covering the binding first, about 1 inch wider on each side than I needed. This worked much better. You could just leave the black binding if it goes with your color scheme.

Print up and labels or quotes you want to put on the cover.

I used spray adhesive to first attach the binding cover (do a dry run first). Spray both the back of the paper as well as the notebook binding. Place the paper on the spine, then roll the spine to get the paper to adhere (that way you won't get any creases).

Now attach the front piece, lining up with the top of the book as well as the original black tape, again spraying with adhesive and repeat for the back (I recommend that during the dry run you mark the paper so you know which edge is the top).

Glue on any labels.

To add the ribbon, use a hole punch to make a hole at both the top and bottom of the back cover. I liked mine about 2 inches from the right edge and as far down from the top that my punch would let me go. Thread ribbon through and tie off. I used 1 yard of ribbon, but I wish I had had just a bit more.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

2011-07-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

Need a fast dessert that won't heat up your kitchen on a hot summer day? Try making a fresh strawberry pie! You can make your own regular pie crust (which I have given up trying), you could use a box pie crust mix (like Krustez or Betty Crocker) or you can use a pre-made graham cracker crust. I took these ingredients with me up to the cabin for the 4th of July for a yummy summertime dessert.

Ingredients

1 9-inch pie crust

1 pkg Danish Dessert, Strawberry (Junket brand...found on the Jello aisle, usually on top shelf)

1 3/4 C. cold water

4 C. sliced fresh strawberries

If you are lucky like me and have a strawberry patch that is doing amazing things, go get some berries, wash, hull and slice them (or at least cut them in half so that they are nice bite size slices).

In a small saucepan combine the cold water and Danish Dessert mix and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.

Pour the sauce over the berries and gently mix. Pour into the prepared pie crust. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (I prefer to not leave overnight because the berries start to get soft).

Top with whip cream if you like! Super tasty and inexpensive (strawberries...free, Danish Dessert $1.34 and crust, $1.19 at Walmart).

Strawberry Freezer Jam

2011-07-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

I love fresh strawberries. I've tried several locations and types of plants and not succeeded in growing them until I finally planted them in my front yard! I have too much shade everywhere else, so I created a patch along my driveway. This is year 3 with my plants (year 1 was bare-root, June-bearing plants from Gurney's), year 2 gave me just enough berries to eat with my cereal, but this year, ah, I've had enough to make pie, to snack on, to serve with shortcake and today, freezer jam! I'm still getting more berries, so maybe strawberry ice cream is next! I may even make more jam and put it away for Christmas gifts for friends!

When making freezer jam, it is so much faster and easier than cooked jam (and as a bonus it doesn't heat up the kitchen) and I prefer the fresh berry taste of freezer jam. You can use whatever brand of pectin that you prefer, but just be sure to follow the package instructions EXACTLY. I usually treat recipes as general guidelines, but not with jam. I measure, I level, I time...everything.

Ingredients

1 pkg Sure Jell pectin

1 quart fresh strawberries

4 cups sugar

1. Wash the berries, cut off the stems and any icky parts and slice up the berries.

2. Use a potato masher or fork to crush the berries (use a wide bottom bowl or pan and only mash up 1 cup of berries at a time). You will need 2 cups of crushed berries when you are done.

3. Pour the berries into a large mixing bowl.

4. Carefully measure 4 cups of granulated sugar into a separate bowl (use a knife to level off the sugar exactly).

5. Pour the measured sugar into the berries and mix it up. Set the timer and let the berry mix sit for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

6. Now mix the Sure Jell with 3/4 C. of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Stir constantly.

7. Pour the hot pectin into the berries while stirring. Stir for 3 minutes to make sure all the sugar gets dissolved.

8. Pour the jam into five 1 C. containers suitable for the freezer (I used 1/2 C. mini-plastic containers since I only need a small jar of jam at any given time).

9. Leave the containers of jam on the counter for 24 hours to set, then refrigerate or freeze.

*These directions are based on using the Sure Jell brand pectin, your directions may vary if you use a different brand.

Pre-project shopping

2011-07-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hey, I've got a project that I'll be working on later this week (after I repaint the hallway) and the notebooks that I'm going to use are on sale for .25 each at Smith's Marketplace (Kroger). You might want to pick up a couple of the Black Marble Composition Notebooks just in case (or just stock up for back to school). More on the project and the hallway painting soon!

T-shirt recycling, Summer Skirts

2011-07-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

So, I've come up with a new use for old t-shirts...summer skirts! I tend to wear skirts all summer since they are cool and breezy. You all know by now that I like cutting up old shirts and putting them back together, so here is a great way to recycle some of those big, boxy t-shirts in your closet.

I did two different versions, the first one, which I didn't take good pictures of, is the 15 minute version. The second, probably took me about 45 minutes (although part of that time was me trying to decide how I wanted to go about things, so the next time I do it, I'm guessing it would only be about 30 minutes). You will need a Large or XL shirt (I usually wear a size medium skirt or medium t-shirt, but a men's Large shirt had the length I needed to make a modest skirt).

Version 1: Drawstring skirt.
1. Lay shirt flat on your quilting cutting board. Line up your cutting ruler along the side of the shirt and cut off whatever part of the sleeve sits outside the "perfect rectangle". Next, use the ruler to cut off the neck hole (as high up as you can so that you have plenty of fabric at the top to turn into the waistband). So you should have a perfect rectangle shape left.

2. Flip shirt inside out and sew up the sides where you cut off the sleeve. So now you have a perfect rectangle tube.

3. Fold down about 1 inch of fabric from the top of the shirt and sew a casing to hold a drawstring.

4. I used leftover knit from the sleeves and collar (sewed together) to make the drawstring.

Version 2: Shaped waistband.

Lay the t-shirt out and use your ruler and rotary cutter to cut off the top of the shirt. I left about 1 inch above the graphic for some seam allowance. You want as much fabric on the collar piece left as possible since you will use that to cut out the waistband.

I used a pair of yoga pants with the type of waistband I wanted as my pattern. I laid the yoga pants on the leftover collar fabric and traced the shape. I then cut out the waistband and sewed the ends together (right sides together) to make the circle for the waistband.
With the wrong side out, fold down the top of the waistband to make a finished edge (if you have enough space, you could possibly add a drawstring, but I didn't). Sew around the top of the waistband.

Next, you will need to lay your waistband piece on top of the skirt and trim the body of the skirt so that it is more A-line rather than rectangle. The waistband is your guide on how much to trim off the top of the t-shirt. Once you trimmed the shirt, sew up the sides of the skirt (right sides together).

Last, you need to attach the waistband to the body of the skirt. Make sure that right sides are together (before you start sewing, pin it on and flip it to make sure it isn't backwards). Sew around and then trim off excess fabric from the seams.

If your t-shirt isn't long enough, you could use a second shirt, in a contrasting color and cut off the hem and sew it on to the bottom of the skirt to add some length. I got my shirts at Thriftown for $1 each, but it is yard sale season and you can probably get them for even less (or raid your guy's closet :)

Close up of the waistband:

Back of the skirt had a player's number, which I think just adds to the character:

Great with a pair of flip flops and shades!

Patio Furniture Slipcovers

2011-06-30T13:58:00.001-07:00

Every year I think I'm going to turn my backyard into an amazing oasis, but somehow it never happens (I'm still on the lookout for Ahmed Hassan from Yard Crashers, it could happen right?)

I have a patio table and chairs that are great, but not particularly fashionable. I looked at new cushions, but most of them start at over $30 each. So, I thought perhaps a slipcover would be a good solution. I started at Home Fabrics and found several good choices of fabrics that I liked. I love green and brown, so this harlequin pattern was perfect (and at less than $2 a yard, it made the decision easy). I toyed with making the slipcovers more fancy, adding ties etc..., but in the end went with simple instead.

I laid out the cushion and measured around giving myself a 2" allowance around each side. I used the fold to help make things go faster. Turns out I needed 1 yard per cushion since I had 54" wide fabric.

I used the iron to fold and press along the open edge, then pinned the slipcover inside out. I sewed along the top and bottom as well as part of the long side (but I left a very long opening to slide the cushion in). Be sure to really back-stitch the edges of the cushion opening really well so that the seam doesn't tear out while you are stuffing the cushion in.

Sew the opening shut (or use some stick-on velcro or snaps).

Baby Back Ribs

2011-06-19T15:04:00.001-07:00

To celebrate Father's Day, I did one of my dad's favorites, ribs. My brother Brian taught me how to do this never-fail method of getting tasty, tender ribs. I like them so well, that I don't even add bbq sauce.

I used half a package of ribs from Costco, which was about 3.5 pounds of meat and it was enough for 4 adults. We served it with corn on the cob and potato casserole (aka: funeral potatoes). I could have made these today, but I did it last night and just put the pot back in the oven to warm them up this afternoon.

Dry Rub

3-4 T. cajun spice mix

1 T. cumin

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

Mix up the spices and set aside. (I'll be honest, I don't really measure any of these ingredients, I just mix until it seems right, the cajun mix makes it a bit spicy, which I like...or you could use a rub that you just buy at the store)

Take the meat out of the package and pat it dry with a paper towel. If your ribs still have the silver membrane on the back (my Costco ones did not), you'll need to pull that off.

Sprinkle the spice mix all over the top and press into the meat (both the top and the bottom). I was in a bit of a rush, so I let it "marinate" on the counter while I let the meat come to room temperature and while I waited for the oven to pre-heat. You could do this overnight or a few hours in advance and just put in the fridge.

Cut the meat into 4-rib pieces and place in a dutch oven (or other heavy covered baking dish). I like to put about 1 tablespoon of oil in the bottom of the dutch oven first. Be sure to arrange the pieces of meat so that some of them curve up and others curve down, giving air lots of room to circulate around the pieces. (According to the cooking shows, meat should be room temp before you throw it into a super hot oven, so I let mine come to room temp first..which was about 20 minutes).

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. With the lid OFF, put the meat into the oven for 30 minutes. Don't open the oven and check on it during these 30 minutes. When the buzzer goes off, open the oven, put the lid on and turn the oven temperature down to 200 degrees-and then don't open the oven again until you are done. Continue cooking at 200 degrees for 20 minutes per pound (so I ended up cooking my 3.5 pounds of meat for another 1 hour 10 minutes, for a grand total of 1 hour 40 minutes).

I cannot believe that I forgot to take a picture of the done ribs...guess we were hungry :) The high temp cook at the beginning helps sear the meat and develop a nice crust. The low temp cooking renders the fat and make the meat nice and tender. I have on other occasions (when it isn't pouring rain outside) fired up the grill and put the already-baked ribs on a hot grill for a minute or two on each side to crispy up the edges or add bbq sauce.

I figure that for 4 servings of ribs, corn, potatoes and huckleberry ice cream (bought that at the store, Tillamook brand, my dad's favorite) I spent less than $4 per person. Take that pricey rib joints!

iPad, Handbrake and DVDs

2011-06-14T21:27:00.000-07:00

I realize I've been very un-projecty lately. I've been really swamped trying to wrap up the school year at work and getting ready for a choir trip next week. Speaking of my trip, I finally got my iPad (I had ordered one from a store here in town who said it would be a couple weeks...which turned into 8...which led me to the actual Apple store where I bought one 10 minutes after walking in the door). Ha. So, for my trip, I of course want to have my new iPad loaded up with lots of movies. I have several already in my iTunes, but I've seen all of those LOTS of times since I use my iPod while on the treadmill.

I thought I'd share some of the tricks I've learned about taking discs I already own and converting them into digital files for my iPad. First, I have a Mac laptop, but I think the software works on PCs too. I downloaded the program Handbrake (here) first.

Put in a dvd (not a blu ray) and let the Mac's DVD player get started and get into the actual movie (not just the previews or the menu, but the actual movie).

Right click on the movie screen and look for the Title menu, look to see which title has a check mark next to it.

You see, it is important to know which title on the disc has the actual movie and not the title that has the extra features or the fake-out movie version (Ah-ha, perhaps you've tried Handbrake before and ended up with a movie that skips the chapters all out of order? That is because Handbrake will default to the longest title, and sometimes the DVD maker puts fake long titles on the disc that are all scrambled).

OK, now you know exactly what Title you need, stop the movie and open up Handbrake.

Click on the File menu and choose "Open Source (Title Specific). Do not use the movie-clapper icon that says "source"--otherwise it will scan all the titles on the disc (which takes a LONG time, sometimes stalls and sometimes chooses the wrong title).

Click on the DVD icon and then on the video file

A window will pop up asking which title, so type it in (in my case, title 21...this can vary from dvd to dvd)

Now the program will scan just the correct title (instead of all 98 extra fake ones).

Be sure to click the type of output device (iPhone, iPad, etc...) over on the right side.

There is also a line to tell the computer where you want the finished file to be saved. I change it to my external hard drive so that I don't slow down my computer with lots of large movie files (each about 1 gig), but you can put it wherever you want.

Click the green start icon near the top of the window. Should take between 30-45 minutes.

When its done, I open up iTunes, click Add to Library and browse to where I saved the movie file. I then right click on the movie in iTunes and choose Get Info so that I can add in the cover artwork--which I have previously found online and saved in the album art file of iTunes (note: if you are buying stuff directly from iTunes, or a have a free digital code that came with your movie, the artwork will show up automatically).

So, now you can start moving your giant collection of DVDs to your computer. Hours of entertainment await :)

Great Link to More Subway Art

2011-05-31T16:28:00.001-07:00

Wow, I found the motherlode for ideas (and many free printables) for subway art for just about any season or occasion! Not sure which one I want to hang up in my house next (a couple I already have :)

Pinterest Subway Art

Address Subway Art

2011-05-28T19:08:00.000-07:00

Of course, you all know how much I like subway art and my latest craft crush has been the subway art that has all the addresses that you've lived at. I really liked the one at Tatertots and Jello. I've been doing some smaller projects with my Silhouette SD and felt like I'd figured it out enough to take on a 20x30 piece of canvas. My addresses are places I've lived since I graduated from high school. I'm really liking it, but I may do some tweaking (nice thing about vinyl is that I can!)

I found this charming piece of art at the DI. (I'm sure someone's mother had to have it hanging on their wall with pride once upon a time). Anyway, I painted over it with some leftover black paint (it was satin enamel)--I did not prime, but I did use a putty knife to knock off some of the larger blobs of paint.

The painted canvas waited patiently in my garage for me to decide how to do the lettering. I toyed with vinyl, but weeding out the letters to make stencils so I could do an "aged" look. Then I thought about cutting out the letters from old books, but I really haven't had that great of luck with paper and the Silhouette sticky mat yet. So, back to vinyl. Turns out, I really love the look and it saved me the step of painting and distressing it.

Next, I created the placement of the addresses on the Silhouette software. I made the document size 19X 36, even though I know that the machine can't do material that wide. Once I got all the text just the way I wanted, I created 2 new blank documents that were 9x36 and copied and pasted the addresses in so that everything fit. I printed it at speed 2, depth 3 (I used Orocal 651 vinyl since it is very sticky).

I did the tedious process of weeding out all the vinyl that I didn't need, then I laid all the pieces out to make sure they were where I wanted them, then adhered transfer tape to each phrase. I used my quilting/rotary cutting guide to help me keep everything all in straight rows. This was not a fast project, but good for when you are watching a movie.

I haven't decided on the final location for this art. I had thought it would go in the basement, but I'm kinda liking it on the kitchen wall.

New Outdoor Lights

2011-05-27T16:39:00.000-07:00

I've had really ugly brass (corroded brass at that) light fixtures outside on my garage. I've finally gotten around to replacing them. Eventually I'll do the ones over the front door too, but not today.

The first fixture took about 40 minutes, the second one about 5 minutes! Swapping sconces is pretty simple.

Turn the power off at the breaker box.

Unscrew the old fixture from the wall.

Undo the wire nuts and pull the fixture off.

I had to add a new mounting bracket since I didn't have one with the old fixture, but if you've already got a bracket, just skip to the next step.

Match the black wire from the new fixture to the black wire in the wall and screw together with the wire nut.

Match the white wire from the new fixture to the white wire in the wall and screw together with the wire nut.

Wrap the plain copper wire (sometimes coated in green plastic) around the green "ground" screw.

Cover it all up with the new fixture and screw it in place (depends on the fixture on how that is going to go).

Ta-da! So much better don't you think? I got these cuties from Lowe's for less than $20 each!

Coconut Lime Layer Cake-Toppled but Tasty

2011-05-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

This is Paula's cake...and mine looked a lot like it, until I drove with it across town, grrr!

I was at the library and I spotted Paula Deen's magazine with this cake on the cover, and it just called to me! First, the cake was very tasty...although I did have a transportation disaster--mine didn't look quite magazine cover ready once I got it to the dinner party I was taking it to--I should have taken a picture BEFORE, oh well. (I give the recipe a bonus since extra coconut and frosting disguised most of the damage). I did make a few cupcakes with the leftover batter and I think I might do a whole batch next time!

Timeline:
Get out 5 sticks of butter to be softening for both the cake and the frosting.
You could make the cakes the day before and freeze them, or make them the morning of.
Make the frosting and frost the cooled cakes.
Refrigerate for an hour before trying to transport the assembled cake to a new location (if you are serving it at your house, then no worries!)
So this recipe used my KitchenAid stand mixer bowl, plus 2 bowls for separating the eggs and another bowl for the dry ingredients...whew, lots of dishes!

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy then add the egg yolks.

The final batter is very thick, even after folding in the egg whites.

There is enough batter for 3 layers and then some--but I only had 2 cake pans, so I had to do the first two, then the last one. The leftover batter I used in my mini cupcake pan and got 5 bite size cakes.

Even though I only filled each pan only about 1/2 full, it still rose really high in the middle, but as it cooled, it dropped (when I inverted the cake onto the cooling rack, it flattened even more). By the time I was ready to frost, I had 3 perfectly flat rounds. The recipe said 18-20 minutes, but the batter in the middle wasn't even close to done at that point, so I ended up going about 29 minutes.

This is my cake at the party AFTER the top layer completely slid off the top, the middle layer broke into 3 pieces and the bottom layer just fell apart! So, learn from my mistake--first, refrigerate the cake for about an hour before moving it...if the frosting isn't soft, it can't slide. Next, use skewers to keep everything in place. The good thing is that once I put it all back together and re-spread some frosting and smooshed more coconut on the sides, it looked pretty good. If you do refrigerate the cake, be sure to let it come to room temperature before serving...with all the butter and coconut milk, the cake gets very firm when cold.

From the March/April Paula Deen Magazine, pg 46

Coconut-Lime Cake

Makes 1 (9-inch, 3 layer) cake

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

2 cups Domino Granulated Sugar

5 Large Eggland's Best Eggs, separated

1 teaspoon coconut extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract ( I used vanilla paste with bean seeds)

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups coconut milk

1 cup buttermilk

Luscious Lime Frosting (recipe follows)
Coconut flakes for decorating (I used Nutty Guys, which I found at Dan's Foods)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray (9-inch) cake pans with nonstick baking spray with flour.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed with a mixer until fluffy. Add egg yolks and extracts,beating until combined.

3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. In a small bowl, combine coconut milk and buttermilk. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with coconut milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.

5. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into batter. Spoon batter into prepared pans, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. (Note: I needed almost 30 minutes for my cakes) or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for

10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

6. Spread Luscious Lime Frosting between layers and on top and sides

of cake. Press coconut flakes around edge of cake. Garnish with fresh berries and lime slices; if desired. Chill until ready to serve.

Luscious Lime Frosting

Makes about 5 Cups

1 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon lime zest (pretty much all the zest on one lime)

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (I got this out of 2 limes)

5 cups Domino Confectioners' Sugar

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. In a large bowl, beat butter, lime

zest, and lime juice at medium speed

with a mixer until combined. Gradually

add confectioners' sugar, beating until

smooth. Add whipped topping, beating

until combined. Lick fingers :)

Dried Mango & Pineapple

2011-05-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

This post combines two experiences, Costco...the place where I can't get out the door without spending $100, and Trader Joe's, a fun new experience for me (wish they had one here). I had been enjoying the dried mangoes from Trader Joe's...they are so tasty and soft and chewy and thought maybe I should dig out my dehydrator from the basement and try doing some myself. I had gone to Costco and they had cases of mangoes for only $5.99! (I picked up a pineapple too, another fruit that I really love).

Turns out, mangoes dry up pretty nice, but it took me 3 tries to find the right amount of time to get fruit that was dry, but not crispy (started with 10 hours, but they turned out like mango chips, tried 8 hours overnight, but even though they seemed pliable, when they cooled off, again, crispy, 5-6 hours was about right). I didn't add anything to the fruit...just sliced it and put it in the dehydrator.

Use ripe mangoes (if they aren't soft and sweet now, they won't be tasty dried either). I peeled them and then sliced them about 1/4 inch thick (maybe a bit thinner-the pineapple about the same, but you don't want to slice it too thin, otherwise, you get mango chips instead of chewy mango). The fruit will shrink considerably. Its important to try and have all the slices the same thickness so that they dry at the same rate. I sliced off the long side, then turned the mango a 1/4 turn and sliced off the next side and just kept turning it until I had sliced everything away from the pit.

Spray the trays of the dehydrator with non-stick cooking spray and lay the slices on the tray. Leave plenty of space around the fruit-the air has to be able to circulate, so don't crowd it. (I think I got my dehydrator at Walmart).

In my dehydrator I found that 5-6 hours was about the right amount of time and that the bottom tray was best left empty (it got too hot). You want the fruit to look dry to the touch (as opposed to wet or juicy looking), but still be very soft and pliable. I'd suggest that your first try be when you are going to be home the whole time so you can check on it. Once you figure out the right timing, you can plan for letting it run without your constant supervision.

Yup, they turned out very tasty. Not quite as soft as the TJ ones, but pretty irresistible (the pineapple is also super yummy).

Baby Bib Upcycle

2011-05-10T18:18:00.000-07:00

I found another blog called A Little Tipsy (seriously...some nights I bounce from one to another and all of a sudden its time for bed), and I loved her projects during her "Baby Week", so I gave the t-shirt bib upcyle a shot. So clean out your t-shirt pile (or snag a bunch of cheap ones at the yard sales that are starting to pop up now that the snow has melted). For the full tutorial, head on over to A Little Tipsy

Cut out the pattern (which you'll only use as a general guide). I folded the shirt in half along the front so that I could just print half the pattern then line up the pattern along the fold. I used a microfiber towel from the dollar store for the backing. Pin and sew the pieces together leaving a gap so you can turn it (if you have a serger, I'd probably just sew it right sides out and call it good). I used a snap instead of velcro since that is what I had on hand. Now, who has a slobbery kid who needs a new bib?

Lemon Meringue Pie

2011-05-03T15:40:00.000-07:00

I hosted Easter dinner this year, and for dessert, I made my dad's favorite, Lemon Meringue Pie. Of course, I made it because I love him (not because this is one dessert that never fails me!) My good old Betty Crocker cookbook recipe works every time.

OK, first thing I admit is that I cannot make pie crust. Despite my grandmother's best efforts, I can't do it, so I cheat. I use a box mix...you do have to use a bowl and a rolling pin, so it almost homemade and I think it tastes great (and you can make those yummy cinnamon and sugar pie crust cookies with the leftover bits).

Meringue
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
6 Tb sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

In a 2 1/2 qt mixing bowl beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Add sugar 1 T at a time. Continue beating until stiff and glossy. Add vanilla.

Pie
9" baked pie shell
1 1/2 C. sugar
1/3 C. plus 1 T cornstarch
1 1/2 C. water
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
3 T. butter
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 C. lemon juice

Bake the pie shell. Make the meringue. Preheat oven to 400. Now make the lemon filling. Mix sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan ( 1 1/2 qt). Gradually add the water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Slowly pour at least half of the hot mixture into the eggs (you need to be pouring a thin stream of hot mixture while quickly stirring it into the eggs). Now pour it all back into the saucepan and return to heat. Bring back to boil and boil & stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add the butter, lemon juice and zest. Pour into the pie shell.

Spread the meringue over the hot filling, sealing it to the edge of the crust. Bake about 8 minutes until the meringue is golden brown. Let cool completely on the counter and then refrigerate.

Royal Wedding Celebrations

2011-04-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

Do you remember the 1981 royal wedding (have a scrapbook perhaps?) So, its 30 years later, gulp, how did that happen? Friday is a National Holiday in England so that folks can celebrate the wedding of Wills & Kate--so at the very least, I had to do some crafting. Last week, for spring break, I was in Arizona and stopped in a cute little shop in Carefree, AZ (home of the World's 2nd Largest Sundial!) that had decked itself with all things royal or British. Check out this cute pillow. This cue'd my crafting mode. OK, I'm finally done, the wedding is in the morning and we're doing "crowns and cupcakes" tomorrow!

Inspiration pillow that started my royal crafting frenzy!

Printable
I started with the easy project...a quick sign for my frame that usually has my subway word art. Super easy and just cheesy enough right? (If you're going to print, remember to click on the thumbnail to bring up the full size image).

Princess Pillows and Freezer Paper

Next, an excuse to really make myself learn how to use my Silhouette SD...which I think I'll probably love, eventually, but the learning curve is STEEP (and it isn't the software that is the hard part...its getting the vinyl or paper to thread through, cut correctly and not get all jammed up). Argh. But after a few fits and starts I did manage to get a design of my own choosing loaded, cut on freezer paper and ready for use. Tip: set the thickness to 1 and the speed to 2 or 3 and place the paper on the carrier shiny side UP.

The freezer-paper-as-silk-screen-template is brilliant! You cut your shape out so that the shiny side of the paper will be face down. Place your cut out over your fabric and iron it in place. There is just enough wax on the paper to hold it in place. Since this project won't be going through the wash, I just used acrylic craft paint. Go super light on the paint and just go over the spots multiple times (this will help prevent paint from seeping under the edges of the template). I put some newsprint between layers of fabric to avoid bleed-through. I pulled the paper off when the paint was dry enough not to smear. I had so much fun I did it again (but I used an old skirt for the fabric and blinged it out with some rhinestones!).

Go slowly with the paint, especially around the edges.

I sewed up around the edges, leaving a gap for stuffing, then used a needle and thread to stitch the hole closed.

Burlap remnant from JoAnne's $1.43 (enough for 4 pillows), stuffing I already had.
Ivory/green printed linen skirt a $4 thrift store find, pillow form I already had.

London Bobby Pins

Next-I love hair accessories, so when I spotted some blank bobby pins with a bezel (shallow pad that you can add decorations to) at the Hobby Lobby (on sale! $1.19 pkg) I knew I needed some--and I'll be wearing mine tomorrow for sure. I printed some royal graphics with my laser jet. I used Microsoft Word to insert the images and re-sized them. The square is 5/8", so re-size the image on your computer to .625 for both the width and height. The round one is 1/2", BUT I had to re-size the circle to .55 inches. Cut out the images, brush a thin layer of glue on the back of the image (not in the box on the pin) and press it into place--I needed to use a small rectangle of plastic to get the corners in firmly. Let dry, then fill the wells up with Judy's Diamond Glaze and let dry (I used some playdough as a base to keep the pin level and unmoving). Ta-da! Office appropriate wedding celebration accessories :)

Above: Before I added the Diamond Glaze

Above: After I puddled the Diamond Glaze (fill it up so that it nearly spills out of the top)

Here are some graphics that you can print and use:

Royal Cupcakes

OK, this was my first experience with marshmallow fondant, and it was pretty nice to work with but I wish I had come up with the ring cupcake first--so, so much easier and faster than the Union Jack. Oh well...they taste yummy too! If you want to do some of your own tasty treats, you really should make the fondant the day before, so here's the link to the recipe

Little Princesses

Wait, we're not done yet! I got a link from my Disney Rewards account with a couple of super cute printables for the younger princesses at your house. Check out the Princess Kate paper doll and tiara

Poppy Seed Danish

2011-04-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

Picture from Marthastewart.com

Did you see the new Martha Stewart magazine this month with all the craft/recipe projects on the theme of poppies? I was visiting my cousin in Phoenix and one afternoon we decided to give the Poppy Seed Danish recipe a whirl. We made a few changes, but they sure were tasty!

For the original recipe (and magazine perfect pictures) MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients

FOR THE DOUGH
1 cup whole milk
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces, plus more for bowl
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (one 1/4-ounce envelope) active dry yeast
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface and hands
Salt
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon heavy cream, for egg wash
FOR THE FILLING
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1/3 cup cherry preserves (I used raspberry since that is what we had)
FOR THE GLAZE
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream

Directions

Make the dough: Warm milk, butter, and granulated sugar in a small saucepan over a low heat until mixture reaches 120 degrees on a candy thermometer. (Butter will not melt completely.) Pour warm milk mixture over yeast in the bowl of a mixer; whisk to combine. Cover with 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt (do not stir). Let stand for 5 minutes.

Using the dough-hook attachment, mix dough on medium speed, scraping down sides of bowl, until a sticky dough forms. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time. Reduce speed to low, and mix in 1 1/2 cups flour. (If dough is too sticky, mix in an additional 1/2 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.) Continue to mix until dough is smooth and pulls away from sides of bowl, about 5 minutes more.
Using floured hands, turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough into a ball, and transfer to a large buttered bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm place until dough is doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Return dough to lightly floured surface, and punch down. Reshape into a ball. Let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling: Beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg yolk. Add poppy seeds, and beat until evenly distributed.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a 18-inch square. Trim edges using a sharp paring knife to form a 15-inch square. (If dough seems too warm or too elastic, refrigerate or freeze for 10 minutes.) Cut dough into 12 5-inch squares, and divide between 2 baking sheets. (this is a change from the original recipe. It called for getting only 9 danishes, but the dough was too thick, so I rolled it out thinner and ended up with more danishes...bonus!)
Cut a 2-inch line from the 4 corners of each square into the center. Spread a heaping tablespoon filling onto each. Dollop centers with a heaping teaspoon preserves. Fold the 2 top corners into the center of each square. Repeat with remaining corners to form petals. Brush petals with egg wash. Bake until deep golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, make the glaze: Mix together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to use. (If glaze gets stiff, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.)
Drizzle Danishes with glaze, and let stand for 10 minutes.

Rub N Buff Resin to Pewter

2011-04-16T16:43:00.000-07:00

Wow, I have discovered a miracle in a tube! Apparently Rub N Buff has been around forever, but I just discovered it. I've got lots of other ideas running through my head on how I can turn brass stuff into silver (thinking about the hardware on my old dresser)--or a mirror, or...well, you get the idea.

I love pineapples since they are the symbol for hospitality. I found this poor little guy at the D.I. for $1. Its made of plastic resin. I sprayed it with black spray paint (thought about leaving it shiny black, because it looked pretty good, but then I wouldn't get to use my new tube of Rub N Buff). I put tiny amounts of the paint on the end of the q-tip and gently spread it over an area, then rubbed it out with a t-shirt. Took about 5 minutes. Now I have a "pewter" pineapple!

This stuff was really easy to use. Couple things to keep in mind. First, it is oil based, so it smells and if you get it on your fingers, you'll need mineral spirits to clean up (I wore gloves and used q-tips so I didn't have to do any cleaning). Next, you use a TINY amount of paint. You don't have much work time, so put it on in the spot you are working on, then quickly grab your cloth and start rubbing and buffing. That's about all there is to know about the product!

Another Ruffley T-Shirt Redo

2011-04-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

I have really enjoyed the last ruffle t-shirt that I made, so when I came across Tea Rose's blog, I knew I had to give this one a go. I hit the Downeast Clearance Center (the one in West Valley is HUGE, but be prepared for a treasure hunt, since you never know what will be there) and got 2 identical T-shirts for only $2.50 each. I had to laugh when I wore the shirt to work today; when people asked where I got it, I said I'd made it and every time the response was "no way!"

I followed Tea Rose's instructions pretty much as is, but when I placed my large ruffles on the t-shirt I spaced them only 1 1/4" inches apart instead of 1 1/2". I used my rotary cutter to make short work of the strips. I've got another project in mind for the leftover shirt fabric. Rather than give you all the step by step here, I'll just send you over to Tea Rose's site (and she has lots of other T-shirt projects).

Science Activities for Kids

2011-03-29T11:45:00.001-07:00

Many of you may not know that my day job is as a science specialist for a school district--and I'm also the really cool aunt who shares fun science stuff with my nieces and nephews. I thought I'd share this fun collection of Science Activities with you (maybe you will try some out over Spring Break!) I'm a big believer in capitalizing on children's natural curiosity about even the most common of things. There is a lot of science to be learned from your kitchen, your bathroom or your backyard!

Austin Children's Museum
The Exploratorium at San Francisco
Utah Education Network online educational games
The Science Spot (middle school)
Shrinky Dinks (a great lesson on conservation of mass or physical changes)

Some of my favorite books with science learning activities for kids are:

Batteries, Bulbs and Wires by David Glover
Teaching Chemistry with Toys by Terrific Science Press
Exploring Matter with Toys
Investigating Solids, Liquids and Gases with Toys

Bedroom Update

2011-03-25T21:40:00.001-07:00

I've been continuing to tweak my bedroom remodel. I thought I was going to get all new bed linens, but the new headboard made things look so much better, that I decided to recycle what I already had.

I have also been trying to figure out if I could put some kind of photos or pictures above the bed, and then I ran into these "wall stickers" at TJ Maxx. I haven't ever done any of the vinyl decoration around the house, but this set of stickers was only $9.99 and in the perfect colors, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Couple of things about the stickers. The package says they are repositionable, but they are not. The pieces that I placed exactly in the right spot the first time are doing great, but the ones I moved around a couple times gave me some grief.

I picked up the silver-tone frame from my mom's house, now I just need to decide what to put in it.

Cornmeal Pancakes

2011-03-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

Every good thing I've ever learned to cook probably started with some help from my mom...and these pancakes are no exception. I got to visit last weekend and she made these very yummy pancakes for breakfast (how great is it that even with just me around, she does a full Saturday morning breakfast--love you Mom!)

1/2 C. all purpose flour

1/2 C. corn meal

1 T. baking powder

1 T. sugar

1 egg

4 T. melted butter

1 C. buttermilk (don't keep it in the house? Make your own by adding the juice of 1/2 lemon to a cup of milk)

Mix up the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients (if you are making your own buttermilk, do that first so it has a chance to curdle before you add it to the bowl).

On a medium-hot griddle, spray with non-stick spray and pour the batter. Just like regular pancakes, let it cook until the bubbles stop and the edges are dry. Flip and finish cooking through. This made ten 4" pancakes (what I would call normal size).

I topped mine with boysenberry syrup, but my mom makes a tasty "semi-homemade" blueberry syrup. She takes 1 cup of maple syrup (the fake kind actual works better than the real stuff) and adds a 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries. Bring to a simmer on the stove, add 1 tsp of good vanilla and then pour over the pancakes.

The pancakes are a cross between cornbread muffins and pancakes. Just so, so tasty!

Chocolate Mousse Cups

2011-03-12T16:27:00.000-08:00

This a really easy, fast dessert and yet it looks much more complicated. I was trying to think of a yummy dessert for a baby shower that I was attending and this fit exactly what I needed. Start with a package of frozen filo cups (in the dessert section of the frozen aisle at the store), a box of Jello Dark Chocolate Mousse, some raspberries and dark chocolate for creating shavings.

Mix up the mousse with a cup of milk. I let mine set overnight in the bowl (I think it would have been fine to pipe the mouse directly into the cups, but I was worried that the mousse would make the shell soggy since the party was the next day).
I put the refrigerated mousse in a zipper bag with a large star tip in the corner.
Ta da! It took less than 5 minutes to make the mousse cups (2 packages of cups needed 1 package of mousse)=30 bites

I topped each bite with a raspberry then used my vegetable peeler to shave some Lindt dark chocolate over the top. Super tasty (total hands on time=10 minutes, with refrigeration time at least 2 hours).

Fabric Flowers

2011-03-05T20:50:00.000-08:00

I'm a sucker for cute hair accessories--what can I say? Its hair jewelry! A couple weeks ago I sat next to my friend Lisa at church and she was wearing a super cute red felt barrett. Knowing Lisa, I guessed she had made it (and she did)--and it was so easy! I did do some searching online and found a great blog that I have added to my "must see" list..the Craft Snob. She has a great tutorial on this type of flower as well as many others.I used a Progresso soup can as my circle size (tried using my Twilight 44 oz cup, but it ended up bigger than I wanted...but you experiment with larger circles for yours). I cut the spiral about 1/2 inch wide (I wanted the flower to have a fairly low profile).

Glue the fabric as you wrap it and cut a small circle of felt to glue to the bottom to keep it all flat. I created an attachment point for the barrett/bobby pin so that I can use the barrett with other decorations or just by itself.

I whipped this one out in about 10 minutes from start to finish (including the pawing through the fabric box looking for my felt). You'll need: felt, craft glue, hot glue, barrett or bobby pin and maybe a button or pearl or sparkly to add to the flower center.

You can make cute flowers out of other scrap fabric. The following are made out of cotton. Cut a strip of fabric about 1.5 inches wide by about 24-36 inches (longer piece=bigger flower). Fold the fabric in half and start rolling up the center. Every now and again, twist the fabric so that you get more texture (use a dab of glue every wrap to keep things tight). Great for hair doo-dads or accents on purses.

Pedestal Bowl

2011-02-18T16:04:00.000-08:00

I have a really beautiful red pedestal bowl in my kitchen that mostly sits as display, with the occasional use for a party (but it sure looks pretty in the open shelving). Since I like the look, when I ran across the DIY Pedestal Bowl from the blog, The Speckled Dog I thought I had to try it.

First, I don't think I'd use gorilla glue again, instead, I'd screw through the bowl and countersink the screw and fill the hole with wood putty--BUT, since this bowl is for decoration, it will be fine.

I sanded the original finish a bit to help the paint stick, but I don't think I'd do that again next time either (hmmm, this is turning into a "what not to do" post)--since I wanted to create an antique-y worn look, it probably would have been better to leave the slick finish and paint right over it, it would have sanded off better.

I painted it some left over green paint from the TV cabinet (Dutch Boy Bullfrog Green), let it dry then did a light coat of Oatmeal (Ralph Lauren) paint. Some sanding to make it look old and a coat of poly.

I picked up a few possible bowls at the DI for future projects too (although big chunky candle sticks were in short supply, so I'll have to keep an eye out for the right base).

Ruffle T-Shirt Re-do

2011-02-14T17:07:00.000-08:00

I love ruffle-y tops. I bought one last year that was expensive, but it was my birthday and I really wanted it. But anyone who knows me, knows I do love clothes, so one top was not enough. A couple months ago at a craft night where we were all learning about recycling the things we have into new things, one neighbor showed how she took 2 matching t-shirts and cannabalized one to add embellishments to the other. Nice. I've been thinking about that for a while and finally decided to do something about it.

I started out with a long sleeve, 100% cotton t-shirt. This shirt had cuffs at the sleeves, rather than just a hemmed edge.

Next, I cut off the sleeves (no going back now).

I cut off the cuff about 1/4" above the seam.

I pinned the cuff back on to what was left of the sleeve (remember, right sides together) and then sewed it back on right along the cuff's original seam.

Next, I used the leftover fabric from the sleeve to cut 2" wide strips. I created the ruffles by running each strip through the sewing machine on a basting stitch, right down the center of each strip. (Use a backstitch on one end of the strip but NOT the other). To make the ruffles, pull one of the threads from the non-backstitched end to gather it up (pull more thread to make a tighter ruffle).

Now, one strip at a time pin the ruffle along the edge of the neckline (I played around a lot with how I wanted to do this first. I thought about going around the whole neckline, making flowers instead of ruffles, etc...).

Once you've pinned on a row of ruffles, sew it on with the sewing machine by sewing right over the top of the center seam. Then repeat the pinning and sewing process for each row. I spaced each row of ruffles about 1/2" apart. I ended up using 4 rows of ruffles.

Ta-Da! New shirt from old shirt :)

Faux Canvas Pictures

2011-02-12T09:00:00.001-08:00

Picture from Raymond Designs

Have you been to Costco here in Utah and seen the big displays of temple and landscape pictures? I like them, but even at Costco prices they are a bit pricey. I visited my aunt in Idaho and she had one on her wall, but they had done them at a craft night, where someone from Utah came with all the supplies, but wouldn't tell them what the liquid was that they used on the project. Hmmm, I did some searching and it appears that the secret is....Mod Podge.

I found a really great tutorial here at Shot by Megs--and if you are going big or really custom, it is the way to go! If you are a bit more lazy (busy), here's a few short cuts that I came up with.

Get a picture that you want to texturize (I spent some time playing in Photoshop elements with one that I had to give it that "antique" look, but I think any type of pic would be fun...black and white, cute pics of kids, whatever). I had it printed at Coscto in 8x10 since this was an experiment (in Luster finish)--now that I've tried it, I'll be looking for the right frame at the DI for a larger picture.

Find a frame (I had a thrift store one that I sprayed black).

You will need a backer-board for the photo. You could use hardboard that you get cut at Home Depot, but if your frame had that "pressboard" insert, you could use that OR do what I did, use the glass from the frame! Brilliant huh? You don't need the glass to go over the top of the finished picture, so why not use it?

Use spray adhesive on the insert or glass, then smooth the picture on (I happen to have a J-roller for installing countertop or floor, but it worked great for this too).

Pour some Mod Podge on top of the picture and roll it out with a paint roller. Careful not to leave "edges" or lines as you roll. Let it dry and put on another coat. This gives the subtle pebbled texture that makes the picture look like more than just a photo (the texture is REALLY hard to photograph).

Now you can pop it back into the frame! I guess I need to scuff up the frame a bit to help it match the "antique-y" photo.

Paint Supply Stock Up

2011-02-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

Home Depot online has Behr brand paint brushes and roller covers on sale 75% off + free shipping. Not sure how long it lasts, but if you've got a project coming up, time to stock up on the supplies. Home Depot Sale Page. Enter code behr75 at checkout.

Lamp Refurb

2011-02-02T18:40:00.000-08:00

I really love the funky acrylic lamps that have become quite popular. I've checked them out at Target, Home Goods, even Walmart and they are pricey (and of course, the ones I like best are the most expensive!) I was at the DI (looking for some pots and pans for my brother who had borrowed one of mine that I for sure didn't want to lose forever) when a lamp with potential caught my eye!

Yup, this lamp could help me get the look of the expensive acrylic one.

It had a slightly bent frame and the lightbulb socket was completely skiwampus, but I just knew it needed a bit of love.

Materials you need:

Small flat head screwdriver

Spray-on primer

Metallic spray paint (I used Krylon)

Forlorn lamp looking for a new lease on life

First thing I did was take a picture so that I would remember the order of all the parts (yup, I'm a thinker...sometimes). Then I disassembled it--pretty easy, there's a tiny set screw on the lightbulb socket, then just unscrew the socket, then all the parts just slid right off the interior pole.

I took the glass balls and washed them up and then used spray primer and silver spray paint on all the metal parts. The base of the lamp was a white/green marble and it also got painted (I thought about leaving it, but it just looked a bit dingy compared to all the new shiny silver parts).

There is a small electrical component that you have to take out (don't spray paint it), but it was really easy to disconnect and then reconnect when I was all done. Just take a picture and use a Sharpie to mark which wire connects to which screw.

Now, put back together it adds a fun bit of sparkle to the bedroom for way less than $10 :) I am going to keep an eye out for a more cylindrical shade and maybe pick up small ball to glue on the finial, but for now, I'm pretty happy!

Upholstered Headboard

2011-01-31T20:49:00.000-08:00

I always get antsy in January...all the bad air, cold weather etc... keeps me indoors and I start creating projects inside to keep things interesting. The headboard in my bedroom is great--I used a door that I salvaged from an old junior high that was being torn down. I've always liked it, but after 6 years, I wanted to change it up. I thought about painting it black (I've already got the paint leftover from another project)--but then I saw THIS in Good Housekeeping Magazine:

I decided that this was a look I was interested in. I figured I'd just use the headboard I already had and if I ever decide to go back, I can.

Headboard Before:

Supplies you will need:

Piece of particle board (or MDF) cut to size (1/2 inch particle board is cheap at Home Depot and they will cut it to size for you)

1/2 in foam padding (trust me, thicker is not better...just more difficult to work with)

quilt batting

Spray adhesive

staple gun

Nail tack strips (or individual tacks)

Small hammer

Fabric

I found my fabric at Home Fabrics here in SLC (7800 S. State St) in the clearance bin for only $2 a yard! Needed 2 yards of 60" wide fabric.

Cut the board to the size you need.
Got the foam at Hobby Lobby (on sale)--but, I wouldn't use the 1" thick again. It was just too thick, so look for 1/2" (I think Hancock Fabrics carries it). Cut the foam to the size of your board. Use the spray adhesive to make the foam stick.
Smooth the batting (super thin, cheap kind I got for $5 at JoAnns) over the foam and staple it on the back (I only used a few staples to keep it in place).
Take your time and get your fabric spread over the batting--make sure that it is straight. I started at the center bottom with one staple and then the top center. I then worked slowly across the bottom from the center out, then the top. I did the sides the same way. You'll have to experiement with how tight to pull. If you pull too tight, you end up with a funny "dent" at the edge of the headboard foam, but if you don't pull tight enough you'll end up with wrinkles.
It looked great without the nailhead trim, but I forged onward.
Take your time with the corners.

I purchased a nailhead trim that you only have to place a tack every 5th nail to secure it (I ordered it online from Perfectfit.com, with shipping $23 and it got here in 2 days). It is made out of metal (watch out...it can be sharp on the back, I cut my finger and bled on the fabric...drat, but I did get it cleaned up). Even drawing on a straight line to follow didn't make this an easy task. The key is the right hammer (which I didn't have) and going slow. Get a small hammer (like a "lady size" or "kid size") and cover the head with some duct tape so that the metal head doesn't scratch or dent the nailhead trim. Keep the tack straight and gently tap the tack in (no whacking it, you'll just bend the tack and pull it out). I'm still thinking about adding the second row of tacks, but we'll just have to see.

I've also been refurbishing the lamp on the nightstand that I'll showcase later this week. I'm still looking for some new accessories and maybe some new bedding (although my old bedding seems more interesting now that the headboard is "new"). I spent about $50 in supplies, not bad for a new look :)

All in all, I like the headboard, but I'm only about 80% satisfied with the placement of the tacks. So we'll see if I can live with it or if I pull it out and try again.

Leather Belt Wrist Cuff

2011-01-28T20:44:00.000-08:00

I was at a chocolate party a couple weekends ago (don't you just love it when a friend sends you an invite to a party and chocolate is the only thing being served?) Anyway, she was wearing this fun leather cuff that looked a lot like an old belt that had been up-cycled. So I thought I'd give it a try. Finding the old belt was easy (closet), getting the right snaps and embellishment a little more tricky. Turns out that Michael's crafts had the best selection (although Beck Leather goods did have lots, they are pretty far from my house). I tried using snaps and the snap pliers that I already had, but it didn't work because the leather is too thick for the types of snaps you use on fabric. Instead, the ones I got at Michael's have a longer post to accommodate the thicker leather. I learned a new vocabulary term during this process, concho, which is the name for the metal decoration that can either have a screw-on back like mine or a rivet style (you can also buy fancy rivets that have crystals or turquoise or decorative silver).

Find a fun belt (mine conveniently already had holes to put the snap through)

Get a snap setter and anvil kit plus snaps (I used size 24 for the thick leather)-got the kit at Michael's for 7.99 (use your 40% off coupon for an even better deal). I put the 2 pieces that go together in the picture for when you are ready to assemble the snaps.

Place the button (nice side) of the snap upside down on the curved anvil.

Put the leather on the button part of the snap (upside down) and put the piece with the ring on it and set with the setting tool and a hammer. You will need to keep things straight in order for the snap to set correctly.

Duh, I had meant to put the button part of the snap on the other side of the bracelet so that the finished edge of the belt ended up on top, but its ok. Just make sure that before you set the snaps you don't have them both facing the same side, otherwise they won't line up to snap.

The concho has a screw back, so I just threaded it through a hole and used a screwdriver to tighten it up.

Basement Remodel

2011-01-25T19:58:00.000-08:00

You know, when I bought my house 8 years ago, I really, really should have taken pictures of every single room since I knew that I was going to be re-doing all of them (1961 house with some super 1970's updates...then, time capsule until I came along). So, sadly, I do not have a picture of what my basement looked like the first time I saw it: Imagine, basement with 7 foot ceilings, dark brown paneling on 3 of the 4 walls, dark brown doors to closets, original single-pane windows and wait for it...shag carpet in multi-hues of avocado, orange and brown. And as a bonus, a sweet U-shaped built-in that included brown painted cabinets with floor vinyl as the desktop and even better, a seating area with pumpkin orange velour cushions. Yup, I'm pretty sure that this space (along with the avocado green kitchen) is the reason my house sat vacant for 9 months before I came along. The house did get its crazy carpet replaced with el-cheapo cream colored carpet by the seller before I moved in.

So, for a couple years the basement was just a "open door, toss down there and ignore" kind of space. Then I bought new furniture upstairs and thought, hey, its probably time to make the basement part of my living space.

Phase I: This is my first basement remodeling, which wasn't too bad (and I lived with it this way for about 4 years). I primed the dark brown paneling (about 4 coats of Kilz), filled in all the grooves with drywall mud, sanded, sprayed with Orange Spray texture, painted with the $5 mismixed paint from Smith's Marketplace. Really, not a bad re-do for under $50 (I also painted the built in desk cream and slipcovered the orange velour).

Phase II

My brother had lived with me for a little over a year and the basement definately had a "guys room" feel (smell) to it when he left. I had never been a fan of the carpet and I knew I wanted to get more energy efficient windows, and THEN the water heater decided to leak all over the storage room--so I thought, now is the time to change it all.

1. Move out all the furniture (for a room that didn't look like it had much in it, sure had to move lots of stuff)

2. Rip out the old carpet (discover green 1970's floor underneath).

3. Convince neighbor with a truck to drive to Home Depot to pick up the new sliding glass door with you.

4. I found an inspiring picture in a magazine that had board and batten wainscotting which I decided was perfect for my room. I went back and forth about taking out the filled in paneling and replacing it with sheetrock, but after much debating, I decided to leave the paneling. The board and batten is just MDF that I cut into 3 inch strips and the baseboard is 5" MDF pre-primed trim that I got at Lowe's (much less than at HD). My Dad and brother (who just happened to be in town that day) decided to help me out by attaching the boards to the wall. Need a tutorial? House of Smith's has a great one.

5. Caulk, more caulk and then paint, paint, paint. (lower walls: Kilz Shaved Coconut upper walls: Kilz Dusty Road)

6. The built in bench with the old orange cushions got removed to leave me more floor space for fun stuff like yoga or movie watching :)

I took the doors off the built-in desk and glued on 2" poplar trim (from HD) to give it a more interesting profile. New hardware from Smith's Marketplace.

Look at the wall--can you tell that it is really dark brown, grooved paneling? Nope, I didn't think so.

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

2011-01-18T20:45:00.000-08:00

Have you got a favorite childhood treat that you still love? I do, its the Hostess Cupcake. I never buy them though (hello, it would be me eating the whole box, so I can't bring them home). I was watching Cook's Country on PBS this weekend, and what do you know, they are making homemade Hostess! Score. I have a work lunch tomorrow that I signed up to bring the dessert, so this seemed perfect. I'll admit that I took a shortcut. I made the cupcakes from a box mix, but the rest I followed the recipe. Give it a try! I'll list the stuff you'll need to gather up, but you can find the recipe here.

1 box chocolate cake mix (or if you want to go completely Martha Stewart, make them using the recipe)

Filling:
1 container marshmallow fluff or cream
3/4 tsp unflavored gelatin
3 T water
4 T butter, room temp
1 tsp vanilla

Glaze:
1/2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
3 more T of butter

Cut a cone of cake out of the top, then trim the point off the cone so there is a space for filling.
Use a couple of spoons to get the sticky filling into the hole. (keep the tops next to the cupcake they belong to so that getting them put back together is easy)

Spoon the glaze over the cupcakes and let firm up. Use some of the reserved filling to pipe the curly-Q top (I just used a small zipper bag that I cut the tip off instead of a frosting bag).

How to make the filling: soften the gelatin by putting the gelatin and water in a medium size bowl for about 5 min. (you'll be using this bowl to eventually mix in the marshmallow, so make it a good size). Then put the bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds til the edges of liquid bubble. Mix in the 4 T butter and vanilla. Let cool on the counter for about 5 minutes then mix in the marshmallow until smooth. Refrigerate filling for 30 minutes so that it firms up. Keep about 1/3 c. of the filling aside to use for the decoration.

How to make the glaze: Put the 3 T of butter in a microwave bowl and melt until bubbly. Immediately mix in the chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Spoon it onto the cupcakes. Let cool before decorating the tops.

Harry Potter Knitting Project

2011-01-17T10:43:00.000-08:00

I am a Harry Potter fan/geek (read the books, seen the movies, visited filming sites in England/Scotland, been to the amusement park, own toys and a costume)-so it was no surprise that when I ran across this super cute free knitting pattern for a Harry Potter dishcloth by Insanknitty that I had to give it a try! My knitting skills aren't particularly advanced (mostly due to laziness on my part) so this is a great starter project, you only need to know 2 stiches: knit and purl! One thing to know about the pattern, when she says MB, what she means is "make border" by knitting 4 stiches, which is why she has MB=K4 (duh, I should have figured that out but it took a while). Simple project, great for your Harry Potter afficianado!

Valentine's Subway Art Printable

2011-01-15T17:40:00.000-08:00

Pic from Eighteen25.blogspot.com

I could have created my own subway art, but why? There are some fun ones already done and ready to download out on the internet. Check out Pinching Your Pennies list of several versions or try Today's Fabulous Finds (I used hers for my January art). Too much fun. I think I'll also give the tissue paper kissing ball project that I found over at TheIdeaRoom.net to add some extra pizazz to the mantle (it always looks so empty after the Christmas decor comes down).

Baby Quilt...in progress

2011-01-14T14:50:00.000-08:00

A very good friend is expecting her first baby and I wanted to make a quilt. I've done simple pieced quilts before and while they aren't too bad, the strip quilting method makes things much faster. I decided that I wanted a more random/crazy pattern for this quilt.

First, picking the fabric is the hardest part! I went with 6 different coordinating fabrics (about 1/4 yard of each), plus 1.5 yards for the back (I'm making a 45" x 45" square).

Next, I used my rotary cutter (if you don't have one, get one! you won't be sorry) to cut the fabric into strips. I varied the width of the strips from 2-5 inches and then lined them up in an order that I liked. I sewed strips together until I had about a 45 x 45 square.

I forgot to take good pictures of the next step, sorry. But, you pull out the rotary cutter again and cut across the strips so that you end up with one long row of the various squares! (Lots better than cutting out each square and then sewing them all back together).

Next, you take all those nice new strips of square and lay it out on the floor. I decided to put the strips upside down on one row and rightside up on the next.

I do have a set of PVC quilt frames, but for baby quilts, I really prefer this small lap frame (I bought it years ago at House of Fabric and recently found another one at a yard sale). I use quilting safety pins to pin through the quilt top, batting and back so everything stays put. Then I move the lap frame when I need to. This makes the project easy to sit on the couch and work on or take on a road trip or put away. I haven't finished yet, but when I get the binding done I'll take another photo.

Fireplace Redo

2011-01-12T17:30:00.000-08:00

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE having a gas fireplace! Turn up the thermostat and, poof, instant fire. Makes January just a bit more bearable. Thought I'd share the process with those of you who may be wanting to swap out your 1960's woodburning fireplace.

Before: A giant fireplace that I never used. The brick measured almost 7 feet across.

Taking all the brick down was the easy part. It came off with a pry bar and hammer with no problems...getting rid of it a few bricks at a time in the garbage can took months (sneaking a few into the neighbors cans when it looked like they had space helped).

Built a new surround for the gas fireplace using Wonderboard in preparation for the new tile. Then thanks to Bennion Fireplaces in Salt Lake for the install of the gas insert. If I had liked the brick, this whole project would have taken about an hour...but I didn't, hence the giant construction project.

The original plan was to fill in some of the hearth space with wood floor from pieces salvaged from a neighbor's remodel to create a smaller hearth, BUT when I discovered an overabundance of concrete under the brick, I had to change my plan. Instead I laid new slate-looking black tile over the concrete. I also put the tile up above the fireplace opening leaving them whole, and then cut the decorative wood piece curved, just tricking you into thinking that I cut each of those tiles into nice curved pieces. I also spent a couple weeks patching the holes in the drywall left by the extra-wide brick that I tore out.

My super talented brother Steve came from Idaho Falls to help me create the surround of my dreams (I drew the pictures, and helped hold things up while he used the nail gun). The mantle cost a total of about $60-used a piece of MDF on the side and top, a piece of hardboard and poplar trim for the square pillars on the front and a bit of crown molding across the front. The tiles were about $40. (the gas fireplace and install was quite a splurge, but the pretty parts of the trimout were a bargain). Some sanding, caulking and 3 coats of semi-gloss white paint and I've got a fireplace that is timeless.

Felt Food

2010-12-29T17:55:00.000-08:00

Sandwich fixings--together and then separate Breakfast Pizza and taco fixings... and then put together Felt Food

Last year I did some felt food for my nephew's birthday (Sam is known for pounding and smashing things, so a soft-sided gift seemed prudent). I didn't have any patterns, but since most of the things are based on squares and circles, it wasn't too bad to make it up as I went. I did find some inspiration from The Idea Room.

I did learn from making the bread slices that there is an easier way (I made "boxes" which were difficult). Now, I just use 2 pieces of cream felt for the outside and 1 piece of tan for the crust. Draw a bread slice shape (on paper if you want to make a pattern first) and cut out 2 of the cream pieces. Make a slightly larger version and cut it out of the tan felt then sandwich it between the 2 cream pieces and sew around the edges. I've found that doing all the stiching as topstiching is much easier than trying to turn things inside out and stuff.

For the pita/tortilla I did sew the right sides together, flipped inside out and left a small gap into which I inserted a wire. Then I topstiched a seam so that the wire would stay near the edge

For the egg, sew the yolk on first through one piece of white (just put a small amount of stuffing underneath before you topstitch). Then sew another piece of the egg white underneath

Play Kitchen

2010-12-20T18:18:00.000-08:00

Before: A sad old nightstand...
I thought I wanted 4 burners, but decided 2 were enough. The wooden letter I trimmed to make it look like a faucet.

The top of the nightstand was really thick, but my jigsaw managed ok.
I will attach the backsplash once I've transported the kitchen to Idaho for Christmas. I used chalkboard paint on the side...
The burners are wood discs from a craft store that I painted.

First, let me say that I did not invent the idea of turning a nightstand into a play kitchen. I got lots of inspiration from other bloggers out there, so thank you (particularly the blog Husband, Wife, Happy Life)

So, I started with a thrift store nightstand. The hardest part was getting it all cleaned and the hardware all off. I took out the drawers and kept the face of just the top drawer. I tried to use stuff I already had in the garage, so I used leftover primer and white paint (spray paint would probably be lots faster). I wanted the knobs to be able to turn, so I used carriage bolts with a couple of nuts underneath so that the wooden wheels would spin. The faucet is a wooden letter found at the D.I.

Tools I used: Drill, jig saw, chop saw

Get a metal bowl (another thrift store item) and make sure it has enough of a lip to hang on the countertop. I traced the bowl on a piece of paper and then used a compass to make a circle inside the outline about 1/8" smaller. I traced the circle pattern on the top of the nightstand and used the jigsaw to cut out the hole.

I used leftover cabinet hinges on the drawer face to make the "oven". I had to screw a small block of wood inside the cabinet to keep the drawer face from falling inward. I used stick-on velcro to keep the "oven" shut.

The fabric was a cute turquoise and red "bowl of cherries" that I had leftover from another project and I used a tension curtain rod.

I have about $20 in materials invested (including the nightstand)--I made the felt food last year and so the kitchen is good to go! Perfect for triplet 23-month old cuties (my adorable nieces and nephew).

Thanks to TheThriftyMama.com

2010-12-19T13:12:00.000-08:00

I've been having lots of fun with this new blog and submitted my post on making Jalapeno Jelly as neighbor gifts to another blogger, The Thrifty Mama. She featured my link and I just get so excited to see the number counter tick upwards every time I log back in! Super fun. If you are looking for great shopping bargains, check out The Thrifty Mama

Recycled Sweater Bag

2010-12-17T22:34:00.000-08:00

First, my knitting skills do not include cable knitting, so while I might be able to convince some people that I actually knit this bag, I'll be honest with you, I just used an old sweater for this project. We had a fun craft night with the ladies in my church where people were showcasing fun "reuse and recycle" craft projects and this idea so just so fun I had to try it. The best part was that I already had all the stuff in the house!

Pick a sweater (large with interesting knit pattern or color. Mine had the cable knit on both front and back)

Cut off the sleeves and decide how big a bag you can make.

Pin and sew up the edges. I wanted to add a bit of gathering at the top so that the bag was narrower at the top than at the bottom, so I used elastic.

Use the sweater pieces to create a pattern for the lining fabric (I used leftover flannel). Sew on the cell phone and lipstick pockets BEFORE you do the side seams and get everything all attached.
Flip the lining inside out.

Stick the lining inside the bag with "wrong sides" together so that the nice, pretty lining is visible. Stitch it down.

I made the strap by using leftover bits of sweater and lining, but you could use a belt or ribbon.

I created a small loop using a bit of the sweater's collar to use as a buttonhole. I sewed on the toggle (.78 for 2 at WalMart) and ta-da, a cute new bag out of a sweater! This is the gift I'm giving to my sister-in-law for Christmas, so shhh. :)

Entry Table

2010-12-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

Since everyone's house needs one more horizontal surface to pile stuff on, I thought I'd add one to my entryway. The color is pretty fun don't ya think? Its Martha Stewart "Araucana Teal" (you can buy a sample container already mixed up at Home Depot for about $3). The table was a bit wobbly but some woodglue and glides on the bottom fixed it right up.

Before

Here's a preview of what I'm working on today, stay tuned for the finished project...

Hanukkah Subway Art

2010-12-07T09:03:00.000-08:00

So, you may wonder why I have a Hanukkah subway art...seems out of the norm for someone who is big on Christmas right? Here's the explanation--I have a wonderful graduate student who works on a project with me who celebrates Hanukkah here in Utah. We had a workshop last week where the food table was decorated up for Christmas and I wanted her to feel included, so I did the subway art for Hanukkah and one for Christmas and put them both up. So, if you know someone who might like this, please feel free to send it along! (Remember to click on the the thumnail and then save/print from the large version).

Jalapeno Jelly

2010-12-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

I was at the library and saw a gorgeous book on display that I just had to bring home-its called You Can Can by Better Homes and Gardens.

Its full of beautiful pictures of jams, jellies and other preserves--very inspirational. I was looking through it and found the perfect gift for my friends/neighbors this year. Jalapeno Jelly! I like to do homemade items, but I wasn't too excited to do repeats of projects from past years (cherry syrup, applesauce, chocolate popcorn etc...) and I thought how unique a gift this would be. Its really quite tasty with crackers and cream cheese (or goat cheese!) Its also tasty on a cornbread muffin or on a turkey sandwich. It was really simple to make--total hands on time was about 30 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients
1 1/2 C. cranberry juice (not low sugar)
1 C. cider vinegar
2-4 jalapeno peppers cut in half (seeded or not...depends on how spicy you like it. I used 2 peppers and cut off the stem end and left the rest of the seeds)
5 C. sugar
1 3oz pkg of liquid pectin (Certo)

1. In a small saucepan bring the juice, vinegar and peppers to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Pour the mix through a strainer to remove the pepper pieces (if you have less than 2 cups of liquid left, top off with juice to make 2 cups exactly).
3. In a 6-qt saucepan mix the sugar and hot juice mixture and bring to a rolling boil while stirring.
4. Add the liquid pectin and return to a boil and keep stirring for 1 minute.
5. Remove from heat, skim off the foam.
6. Pour into sterilized 1/2 pint jars
7. Process for 5 minutes (or just give it out right away and tell folks to refrigerate)

The recipe made enough for 12 of those 4 oz jelly jars. I was able to use a coupon for the juice and the peppers were less than $1! Great inexpensive gift.

I will warn you that the boiling of jalapenos and vinegar is strong...so don't stand directly over the pot in that first step.

December Subway Art Printable

2010-12-01T06:21:00.000-08:00

I've been playing around with my December subway art project. I couldn't decide what color I wanted to decorate my room this year (last year was pear green and silver, the year before cranberry). So, I did a few different versions--the pear green one and burgandy ones will show up later today I think. I print them on 8.5x11 photo paper on my color laser jet, but we did one for my mom at Walmart on 8x10. Just remember to click on the thumbnail first and then right-click on the large image to save it to you computer. Have a wonderful 1st day of December. :) I also found a fun free printable at Eighteen25's blog, check it out!

Thanksgiving Activity Book

2010-11-25T10:16:00.000-08:00

I've got nieces and nephews to keep entertained today while the adults are chasing the triplets and getting the meal all ready--so here's a thanksgiving activity book that has a few mazes, puzzles and coloring pages. Have a great day!Thanksgiving Activity Booklet

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

2010-11-20T15:15:00.001-08:00

Most people either love or hate cranberry sauce on their Thanksgiving plate. I fall into the category of "love it"--providing that the cranberries are homemade! I suppose I grew up spoiled with a mom who is a great cook and does all of the Thanksgiving meal from scratch. For me the difference between that can of cranberry jelly and the homemade is about the same as the difference between fresh peas and canned peas--so different that one is edible and the other is not really food at all. So...if you haven't been a fan in the past, give homemade cranberries a chance!

Ingredients:

1 bag cranberries

1 c. sugar

1 c. water (not quite full)

In a pot put the water and sugar (I tend to use just a bit less water, like a Tablespoon or 2 less) and bring to a boil. Dump in the cranberries. Bring the mix to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium. The concoction will get bubbly and foamy--let boil for 10 minutes (set the timer). Stir it up every couple of minutes so it doesn't scortch.

If you like the chunky cranberry sauce (and I don't) you can be done now. If you want the clear jelly you need to dump the mix into a fine strainer over a bowl and push the mix through the strainer with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. If you are going to make the clear jelly, be ready to strain as soon as you take it off the stove--cranberries have a lot of pectin and it will set up rather quickly. Once its all strained put it in a jar or container and refrigerate it.

That's it! Now you have delicious cranberry sauce for your turkey!